May 18, 2024 09:34 PM IST
Rahul Gandhi said he had urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to mention industrialists Adani and Ambani in his speeches, which he did a few days later.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Saturday claimed he can influence Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s speeches, suggesting that the BJP leader adopts his phrases and talking points.
Speaking at an election rally in Delhi, Rahul Gandhi said, “Tell me whatever you want Narendra Modi to say, I will make him say that in his speeches.”
Unlock exclusive access to the latest news on India’s general elections, only on the HT App. Download Now! Download Now!
“I told him, ‘Narendra Modi, you don’t mention the names of Adani-Ambani. You should mention their names.’ 2-3 days later, Narendra Modi said ‘Adani-Ambani, Adani-Ambani’,” Gandhi said, referring to the prime minister’s recent speech in Telangana where he accused the Congress of having a “deal” with billionaire industrialists Mukesh Ambani and Gautam Adani.
Read: Rahul Gandhi, Akhilesh Yadav hit out at PM Modi on Rae Bareli-Amethi campaign trail
The Congress leader reiterated his promise to the underprivileged women of India, wherein the INDIA bloc would prepare a list of impoverished families and deposit ₹1 lakh per annum into the accounts of selected women from these families.
” ₹8000 per month thaka thak, thaka thak, thaka thak,” Rahul Gandhi said.
Sharing another instance where he felt the prime minister had mimicked his rhetoric, he added, “I used ‘thaka thak’ in my speech. Narendra Modi has now started using ‘thaka thak, phata phat’ in all his speeches. Tell me whatever you want him to say, I will make him say it.”
Read: Rahul Gandhi displaying red Chinese constitution, ours blue: Himanta Biswa Sarma
Gandhi urged workers of the Congress party and of the Aam Aadmi Party to work together and ensure victory for their alliance on all seven Lok Sabha seats in the national capital.
“It’s interesting that I’ll vote for AAP and Arvind Kejriwal will vote for Congress in these elections,” he said.
Continuing his attack on the prime minister, the Congress leader said, “PM Modi is giving non-stop interviews to his favourite journalists but he will not have a debate with me because he knows he cannot answer my questions.”
“PM Modi talks about the Congress getting tempo-loads of money from Adani-Ambani, but he doesn’t dare to get it probed,” he said.
“I’m ready to debate with PM Modi whenever and wherever he wants, but I’m sure he won’t come. The first question I would ask PM Modi is what is his relationship with Adani, next I want to ask him about electoral bonds,” the former Congress chief said.
Gandhi also hit out at the media, alleging they were “friends of 2-3 industrialists” as they would either show Ambani weddings, Bollywood stars or Narendra Modi on their channels round the clock. “Still, stringers and cameramen working for these media houses will vote for Congress only,” he said.
- ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Follow the latest breaking news and developments from India and around the world with Hindustan Times’ newsdesk. From politics and policies to the economy and the environment, from local issues to national events and global affairs, we’ve got you covered.
