Jammu, Sep 4: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday claimed that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has lost his confidence after the recently held Lok Sabha elections and the time is not far when his government will be removed.
At a poll rally at Sangaldan in Jammu and Kashmir's Banihal Assembly constituency, he claimed the Central government is run by PM Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah and their corporate friends.
Targeting Modi over the unemployment issue, the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha said implementation of GST and demonetisation harmed the interests of small businesses as the government is working for two billionaires.
“I was told not to name Modi's corporate friends Adani and Ambani so I am using aliases like A1 and A2 for them. This government is like ‘we two, our two' — Modi and Shah, and Ambani and Adani — these four are actually running the government,” Gandhi said.
The Congress leader alleged that Jammu and Kashmir's statehood was “snatched” following the abrogation of Article 370 of the Constitution “to benefit the two billionaires”.
The situation in Jammu and Kashmir is worse than the rest of the country as it has the highest unemployment rate and the government has done nothing to generate employment opportunities for the youth, Gandhi claimed while addressing the poll rally.
He claimed that PM Modi's confidence went down when opposition parties came together under the INDIA bloc umbrella to challenge him.
“We have finished Modi psychologically. I sit in front of him in Parliament and I know his confidence is gone… Now a little time has left, we will remove Modi and BJP from government,” the senior Congress leader said.
Continuing his tirade against the prime minister, he said, “First Modi said there would be no caste-based census but we insisted on it. The RSS is now saying it is right. We opposed the lateral entry system and put pressure on the government. Now he is frightened.”
“You have seen that in earlier elections Modi used to come with a broad chest and make long speeches. But now he is holding the book of constitution on his head while entering Parliament.”
Launching a broadside on PM Modi, Gandhi said he has claimed to have a direct connection with God and “is on record having said that his birth is non-biological”.
“This (Lok Sabha) election, Modi got a direct message from God. You may feel that you are talking directly to God but He is only listening to the masses and working accordingly,” the Congress leader said.
Following the rally at Banihal Assembly constituency in Ramban district in support of Congress candidate and the party's former Jammu and Kashmir unit chief Vikar Rasool Wani, Gandhi is scheduled to address another meeting in Dooru assembly segment under Anantnag district for Ghulam Ahmed Mir.
These rallies are part of the campaign for the party's candidates contesting in the first phase of the elections on September 18.
Polling to elect 90 members of the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly will be held on September 18, 25, and October 1. (Agencies)
