Hindustan Ka Chowkidar Chor Hai: Rahul Gandhi attacks PM Modi A Thief In Rajasthan; BJP hits back

In a new attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Congress president Rahul Gandhi coined a new slogan–Gali gali me shor hai, Hindustan ka chowkidar chor hai at a rally in Rajasthan’s Dungarpur.

Intriguingly, a similar slogan, Gali Gali me shor hai Rajiv Gandhi chor hai, was used against Rahul Gandhi’s father Rajiv Gandhi after the Bofors scam in the late 80s’ by the opposition parties.

Rahul Gandhi cited examples of the controversial Rafale deal and absconding liquor businessman Vijay Mallya, on Thursday and slammed Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The Congress president said, "Modi ji said that he does not want to be the Prime Minister of this country. He said he wants to be the 'chowkidar' (security guard). Today, people are raising their voices - 'Gali gali mein shor hai, Hindustan ka chowkidar chor hai'."

Gandhi further went on to chant the slogan again and he questioned why Finance Minister Arun Jaitley is "not getting jailed for allowing Vijay Mallya to run away from the country."

Gandhi criticizing Narendra Modi led BJP Government said,"I want to take a step further. He talked of curbing black money. And he implemented demonetisation and made the entire country stand in queues outside banks… but only

the poor stood in those lines. Did you see a single suited-booted person in those lines? Was Lalit Modi in those queues? Was Vijay Mallya in those queues? Was Anil Ambani in those queues? No. And the entire country saw this,”

Rahul Gandhi demanded probe as why Mallya met the Finance Minister before escaping India. Gandhi said that Modi should explain why excess money was paid in the Rafale deal and also should explain why Anil Ambani accompanied him to France.

Addressing people in the tribal belt in the poll-bound Rajasthan, Rahul accused Modi of benefiting a small number of people only. According to him, MNREGA empowered millions of people by providing them guaranteed employment but this was stolen away from the Modi government.

Referring to Modi’s monthly radio talk, Rahul during his address said the prime minister speaks his ‘mann ki baat’ in all his speeches but the Congress wants to hear what the people say. He said promise to provide employment to two crore youths every year and the Make In India campaign had failed just like phones, shoes and clothes carried the Made In China tag.

Union Textile Minister Smriti Irani while countering Rahul Gandhi's comment said Mr Gandhi has no regard for the prime minister's post, which he respected only when a member of his own family held it.

Irani on the sidelines of a Carpet Export Promotion Council event said, "I think that the desperation of the clown prince, as Jaitley calls him, is to attract attention to himself at the cost of the prime minister's name."

"People of the country know that Rahul Gandhi lacks vision and a desire for development, and the desperation of Rahul Gandhi to be in the news is very obvious with the atrocious statements that he has given," Irani further said.