Congress leader Rahul Gandhi lashed out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's governance policies at an election rally in Bihar's Balmiki Nagar on Wednesday. "The motive of demonetisation and lockdown was the same. It was aimed at destroying small farmers, small businesses, traders and labourers," Gandhi said at his second electoral visit to the state where the first phase of assembly polls is being held on Wednesday.
The Congress leader said that the only area where his party cannot compete against the prime minister was in lying. "Congress gave direction to the country. We gave NREGA, waived off farmers' loans. We know how to run the country, stand with farmers and generate employment. But yes, we do lack one thing—we don't know how to lie. We cannot compete with him (PM) at lying," the Congress leader said addressing the crowd in the high-voltage state assembly polls.
"Now, the prime minister doesn't say in speeches that he will give jobs to 2 crore youth. He knows he was lying and people also know it. I guarantee, if the PM comes here and says he will give 2 crore jobs, the crowd will chase him away," he added.
PM Modi is also in Bihar campaigning for the high-decibel assembly elections. Addressing an election rally in Mithila, PM Modi raked up the Ayodhya issue and urged the people to defeat the opposition, which he said had ushered in a "jungle raj" in the state and embezzled funds meant for development schemes.
The prime minister, who shared the stage with Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, lavished praise on the latter, calling him the bhaavi mukhyamantri (prospective CM) and crediting him with Bihar's economic turnaround.
Modi and Rahul Gandhi had kicked off their campaign in battleground Bihar on Friday last week. While Modi had addressed three back to back rallies at Dehri-On-Sone in Rohtas district, Gaya and Bhagalpur, the Congress leader had his meetings at Hisua in Nawada and Kahalgaon in Bhagalpur district. The two leaders had gone for each other's jugular over the Chinese intrusion in Ladakh and both cried "insult" to soldiers and their families. The abrogation of Article 370, farm sector reform laws, "jungle raj" during the 15 years of RJD dispensation, the migrant crisis and joblessness too figured prominently in the bitter electoral discourse.