Rahul Gandhi invokes 'Jal, Jangal and Jameen' in Chaibasa

CHAIBASA: Congress national president Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday said his party will protect tribals’ jal, jungle and jameen if voted to power. Addressing an election rally at Tata College ground in Chaibasa on Tuesday, a day after Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s rally at the same venue, Rahul did not respond to Modi’s statement about his father and former PM Rajiv Gandhi.

Modi had on Monday dared Congress to contest the remaining two rounds of the Lok Sabha elections on Rajiv’s legacy. “I challenge the entire Congress, its president, the dynasty and its associates to fight the next rounds of polls by invoking the former PM who faced serious charges of corruption in Bofors deal,” Modi said. “Some people have been wailing since I called a dynast corrupt number 1. But the more they howl, the more people will get to know how a family looted and ruined the country in the 20th century. The youth of the 21st century ought to know about all this,” he said.

Rahul, however, chose to ignore thge PM’s statement while campaigning for mahagathbandhan candidates Geeta Koda (Congress nominee from the Singhbhum seat) and Champai Soren (JMM’s candidate from Jamshedpur) on ahead of the two seats going to the polls on May 12. Significantly, Geeta is the wife of former chief minister Madhu Koda, who was convicted in a Rs 4,000 crore coal scam case and is now on bail.

Promising to return all the benefits “snatched by Modi” to the tribals, Rahul said: “In the last five years, the chowkidar has looted your jal, jungle and jameen for the sake of Ambani. He robbed you through demonitisation and Gabbar Singh tax to fill the coffers of businessmen like Ambanis, Nirav Modi, Mehul Choksi and the likes. Congress will return all that you have lost and deserve if we are voted to power.”

Picking on Modi’s criticism of the UPA government’s MGNREGA scheme, Rahul Gandhi asked the PM to show some respect while talking about the poor. “You (Modi) have insulted MNREGA. You said in Parliament that Congress made people dig holes while the scheme provided employment to lakhs and crore of people. You should pay respect while you talk about poor and don't disrespect them,” he said.

“I guarantee you that this will happen. Unlike Modi, I don’t believe in hollow promises. I won’t say I will give you Rs 15 lakh. It is not possible and will dent country's economy. But I promise to give you Rs 72,000 per year," he added, talking at length about Congress’s proposed NYAY scheme. “NYAY will be the true surgical strike on poverty and places like Jharkhand will be the biggest beneficiaries. NYAY will become the diesel and petrol of Indian economy,” he added.

In his 30-minute speech before an impressive crowd of around 30,000 people in the scorching heat, Rahul made several attempts to woo tribals, drawing parallels on how Congress brought laws to safeguard their rights. “Modi and (chief minister) Raghubar Das believe that your land and forests are important for their capitalist friends. Not you,” he said, citing how both the state government and the Centre were trying to amend the state’s pro-tribal tenancy laws.