Whose Pockets Are Being Filled With High Fuel Prices? Rahul Gandhi Attacks Modi Govt in Poll-bound MP

Rewa (MP): Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Friday questioned the silence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the soaring fuel prices and asked “whose pockets are being filled” because of this.

Addressing a public meeting at Baikunthpur near Rewa before wrapping up his two-day visit to poll-bound Madhya Pradesh, Gandhi said, "Crude oil prices were 140 dollar per barrel in international market during the UPA regime. These rates have come down to 70 dollars (in global market) now. But, the prices of petrol and diesel in India have been going up.”

He asked, "Whose pockets are being filled with high prices? Why is the Prime Minister not speaking on price rise of petrol and diesel?"

Taking a dig at Modi, Gandhi said, "He used to ask the people (during his speeches) whether they are getting petrol at Rs 50 now. Yes, the people are getting half-a-litre petrol in Rs 50 now.”

The Congress leader said the Modi government had ignored the interests of farmers but helped a small group of industrialists by waiving loans amounting to nearly Rs 1.5 lakh crore.

Gandhi once again chose the Rafale deal to attack the government and dared Modi to break his silence and come clean on the issue.

“Now, I throw a challenge to Narendra Modiji. Answer these questions. The French president who signed Rafale deal with you is saying that you helped Anil Ambani to get the deal," he said.

"Why did you facilitate the deal for a company indebted with Rs 45,000 crore? Why did you buy a fighter aircraft for Rs 1600 crore which cost Rs 526 crore?" he asked, adding that the Prime Minister must “spare some time to answer these questions”.

He went on to add, "You (PM) won't answer these queries as you have helped your friend Anil Ambani bag Rs 30,000 crore deal and the country knows that Narendra Modi speaks lies one after another on the stage. And Narendra Modiji's intention is not clear."

Ambani has already rejected Gandhi's allegations and emphasised that the government had no role in Rafale-manufacturer French company Dassault picking up his company as a local partner.

Gandhi also alleged that finance minister Arun Jaitley had helped industrialist Vijay Mallya escape from the country after defaulting on loans to the tune of thousands of crores but Modi doesn't utter a word.

Attacking the BJP government in Madhya Pradesh, he said the roads in the state were full of potholes but chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan claims they are better than those in the United States.

The Congress president alleged rampant corruption in Madhya Pradesh, saying Chouhan must answer about the Vyapam scam and the e-tendering scam. He also promised to implement the Land Acquisition Act with rates four times more than the market costs.

On Friday, Gandhi addressed public meetings in four assembly constituencies of Vindhya region, including at Baikunthpur (Sirmour), Shahpur (Simaria), Lalgaon (Mangawan) and Chunari (Teothar). After addressing the rally at Chunari, the Congress president left for Allahabad in a helicopter.