There will be enquiry after elections & ‘chowkidar’ will be in jail: Rahul Gandhi fires fresh salvo at PM Modi
New Delhi: Congress president Rahul Gandhi once again launched an all-out attack at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, taking a dig at his ‘chowkidar’ slogan, and said that the Bharatiya Janata Party’s ‘achhe din ayenge’ slogan five years ago has now turned into ‘chowkidar chor hai’.
Addressing a public gathering on Thursday, Gandhi raked up the Rafale issue, implying that Reliance Defence owner Anil Ambani enjoyed impunity even in the presence of ‘chowkidars’. It is to be noted that PM Modi addresses himself as a ‘chowkidar’ (watchman) of India against the forces of corruption.
“Mazdur ke ghar ke samne kabhi chowkidar ko aapne dekha? Nahi. Anil Ambani ke ghar ke samne kitne chowkidar hain? Hazaron chowkidar hain Anil Ambani ke paas… Jo apne sang chori kiya hai, uski chowkidari karne ke liye… Pehle ‘achhe din ayenge’ janta dekhti reh gayi… Paanch saal baad dekha nara badal gaya ‘chowkidar chor hai’… Aur chhoti chori nahi ki… Main aapko bata raha hoon, chunav ke baad enquiry hogi… Jail mein chowkidar hoga… (Have you ever seen a watchmen outside the houses of a peasant? No. How many watchmen would you find outside Anil Ambani’s house? Thousands. Who looted us, there are watchmen for that person. The people of our country kept waiting for better days, but today people are calling the watchman a thief. And it isn’t a small theft. Take my word, after the elections, there will be an enquiry. After that, the ‘watchman’ will be in jail),” Gandhi said to a resounding audience that raised slogans of ‘chowkidar chor hai’, news agency ANI reported.
Rahul Gandhi will be contesting from two seats this general election, from Wayanad and Amethi, his original bastion. He filed his nomination from Kerala’s Wayanad Lok Sabha seat on Thursday and is expected to file his contest papers in Amethi on April 10. Gandhi said he felt southern India was being neglected, which is why he chose to contest from a second constituency this year.
The highly-anticipated 2019 Lok Sabha elections are just around the corner. While the Bharatiya Janata Party will look to consolidate their reign at the Centre for a consecutive second term as part of the National Democratic Alliance, the Congress party would aim to bounce back after their abysmal performance in 2014 after holding two terms in the government.
The National Democratic Alliance had formed the government in 2014 with 336 seats in the Lok Sabha after the BJP secured an absolute majority by winning 282 seats out of the total 545 (2 nominated). The Congress party was humbled after 10 years in power, won a measly 44 seats.
However, tables have turned for the Congress in the past five years, with Congress president Rahul Gandhi taking over as the head of the grand old party and spearheading the Opposition’s campaigns.
The general elections will be held in seven phases from April 11 to May 19 for 543 Lok Sabha seats across the country. The counting of votes will be done on May 23.
