Varanasi, March 4 (Agency) Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Friday slammed Prime Minister Narendra Modi over issues like price rise and unemployment, and accused him of telling lies to the people, as he sought support for Congress candidates in Uttar Pradesh polls. He was speaking during a rally at Pindra in Varanasi, along with his sister and Congress General Secretary and In-charge for Uttar Pradesh polls, Priyanka Gandhi. Addressing the rally, Priyanka appealed to the people to vote on issues, not on the basis of caste and religion. Rahul Gandhi, meanwhile, said that BJP does not seek votes on religion, but by telling lies. He said, “What is Hindu religion? When we talk about Shiv ji, Lord Ram, Krishna, Mahabharata or Ramayana, what do we talk about? What is Hindu religion? Hindu religion is truth, it is nothing else but truth,” he said. “Our religion does not preach lying to people. I have not heard of any religion asking people to lie.
They are not seeking votes in the name of religion; they are seeking votes by telling lies,” added the Congress leader. “Modi ji, you are not protecting religion, you are protecting lies. You are not doing it for the people. You protect lies to remain in power,” alleged Rahul, while slamming the government over rise in unemployment and prices of essential commodities. “In 2014, Narendra Modi used to promise two crore jobs every year. He promised doubling of farmers’ income. The third promise he made was that he would bring an end to black money and put Rs 15 lakh in everyone’s bank account. Why isn’t Narendra Modi talking about jobs, Rs. 15 lakh in bank accounts and doubling farmers’ incomes now?,” asked the former Congress president. Accusing the Prime Minister of lying, he said, “I will die, but will never promise that I can put Rs 15 lakh in your bank accounts. I respect you so much. I cannot lie to you.
Commenting on the situation in Ukraine, Rahul Gandhi said, “Thousands of our youth are stuck in Ukraine. When they make videos and request to be saved, Narendra Modi’s people say they went to Ukraine because they could not get admission in India. Are they not our youth? Is it not your responsibility to bring them back? “During the Covid-19 pandemic, there was only one Prime Minister who told his citizens, virus is here, beat ‘thalis’. Was it the truth? I said in Parliament lakhs will die, please prepare oxygen cylinders, ventilators, hospitals… BJP leaders said Rahul is fear mongering. But you saw dead bodies in Ganga, Ajay Rai ji was there, did you see BJP leaders?,” he alleged. The Congress leader further said that he and his family belonged to Uttar Pradesh, and mentioned that his great grandfather Jawaharlal Nehru spent his life serving people. The rally by Congress leaders comes on a day when Prime Minister Narendra Modi also held a road show in Varanasi, his Lok Sabha constituency, which goes to polls in the seventh phase of Uttar Pradesh elections. On Thursday, a joint rally was organised by Samajwadi Party’s Akhilesh Yadav and Trinamool Congress Chief and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, along with other leaders of the SP alliance.