Priyanka Gandhi while campaigning in Rajasthan, Chittorgarh urged people to choose development over communalism, appealing to them to hold leaders accountable. She also urged people to change the tradition of changing the governments in Rajasthan to continue the course of progress and development initiated there by the Congress government.
Addressing a largely attended public rally in this historic city here today, Ms Gandhi sought a clear distinction between communalism and religion. She said that everyone is religious and has a deep religious faith, no matter which religion one belongs to. She cautioned against leaders who resort to religion at the time of elections to divert the attention of people from their pressing demands.
Without mentioning any political party or leaders by name, she observed that they had got used to resorting to communal politics by invoking religion at the time of elections. She urged people to make the leaders answerable and accountable and not to spoil them and let them off without questioning them.
Ms Gandhi also took a jibe at the Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying he was roaming around in the state and seeking votes in his name like he was going to leave the job of the Prime Ministers and become the Chief Minister of Rajasthan.
Drawing parallels between her party and the BJP, Ms Gandhi pointed out that the BJP was a divided house, while the Congress was united and working for the welfare and development of people. She said, “the BJP was in desperate search for the Chief Minister’s face and that is why the Prime Minister was seeking votes in his own name.”
Appealing to people to change the tradition of changing the governments every five years, the Congress general secretary said, it was important to ensure the continuity of all the developmental works in progress in the state. She told the people to compare the situation in their state with those ruled by the BJP.
Ms Gandhi said, in the neighbouring Madhya Pradesh, where the BJP was in power for 18 years, people were fed up. She said, farmers were not getting fertilisers and youth were not getting any jobs. She disclosed that during the last three and a half years, the BJP government there had provided just 21 jobs, compared to about two lakhs jobs provided by the Rajasthan government.
The Congress general secretary reiterated some of her party’s guarantees including Rs 10,000 for every woman head of the family in the state, laptops/tablets for all students in government colleges, Rs 25 lakhs health insurance, Rs 15 lakhs insurance against natural calamity and restoration of the old pension scheme with legal guarantee.