Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi while in Uttarakhand on Friday added a fresh load of ammunition in his attack on the BJP, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and demonetisation, even as the state's chief minister and Congress leader Harish Rawat was summoned by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in connection with a CD containing footage of a sting operation.
while addressing a public rally in Almora, Gandhi said: "Demonetisation is economic dacoity. Modi has targeted the poor." The young Gandhi scion has been targeting Modi and demonetisation with claims that they are anti-poor and anti-farmer.
Rahul Gandhi also continued his tradition of using couplets and poems to target the prime minister. He said: "In the words of Bahir Badr, 'Log toot jaate hain ek ghar banane mein; tum taras nahi khaate bastiyan jalane mein'." Loosely translated, it means: "People crumble when trying to build only one house. [But] You show no mercy in setting fire to houses."
He also paraphrased a song from the Amitabh Bachchan-starrer Laawaris: "aap ka to lagta hai bas yahi sapna, Ram Ram japna parayaa maal apna." The phrase is actually a proverb older than the 1981 film, but the use of the lines — especially the Ram Ram part and its allusion to the Ram Temple issue on which the BJP wants to ask for votes in the Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections — can be seen as an interesting ploy.
Harish Rawat summoned again
Meanwhile, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Harish Rawat was once again summoned by the CBI for questioning in the case of a CD that purportedly shows him striking a deal with rebel leaders of the Congress. This is the second time he has been summoned by the CBI for questioning in the case.
