Rahul Gandhi campaigns in Karnataka: Hits out at BJP over corruption

Hassan: Congress Vice President RahulGandhi on Wednesday lashed out at the BJP for its double-speak on corruption. “BJP talks loud about corruption in Parliament. But the rampant corruption in Karnataka, under its rule’ is not visible for them” said Rahul Gandhi.  "We have given you RTI to expose corruption," he claimed. "The BJP leaders talk about corruption. Yesterday in Parliament, they spoke about corruption. But they will not talk about Karnataka. They will not mention the corruption in Karnataka. They will not say a chief minister went to jail. They will not say Reddy brothers who they sold the entire state to... they talk about corruption," continued Rahul Gandhi.

Addressing a big Congress rally in Hasan ahead of the May 5 Assembly Elections, Rahul Gandhi sarcastically said the BJP has won the world cup of corruption. Striking an emotional chord with the people of the state, the Congress Vice President said “The state of Karnataka developed because of the hard-works put in by the poor, farmers and the labourers in the state. But today the development is not seen in the state due to the ignorance and misrule of the BJP government here”. He further charged that the BJP has mortgaged Karnataka's future to mafia.

“The money we have today belongs to the people of this country and it should reach back to the people. That is why Congress-led UPA Government at the Centre implemented policies like MNREGA and RTE” explained the Congress leader.

He said Karnataka had a lot of natural resources, among them huge iron ore reserve. "This wealth does not belong to one individual. It belongs to everybody in Karnataka. It belongs to the youth and old people of Karnataka.'

In an indirect dig at former BJP leader and ex-state CM BS Yeddyurappa, Rahul Gandhi urged the people to elect a chief minister who doesn't spend time in jail. He further noted that nobody was happy with the political system and there was a need to include youth and women in the system to bring in real change. “I request the youth and women in the state to join politics to transform the system” stated the young Congress leader”.

“BJP had promised a lot but did nothing” alleged the Congress MP and added “While Congress believes in inclusive growth, BJP follows a divisive agenda”.

“The responsibility of an MLA is to work for the people. There is no place for any MLA in the Congress party who does not work for the people” asserted Rahul Gandhi amidst loud applauds from the crowd.

Earlier, while addressing another Congress rally in Mandya, Rahul Gandhi said “There was a time when the state of Karnataka was shining in all fields. But the state has now lost its shine due to the misrule of the BJP”.

Rahul Gandhi urged the people to oust the present BJP regime in the state and to elect a pro-poor, pro-development, progressive Congress government to bring back the lost glory of Karnataka.

Rahul Gandhi's elevation signals positive change in the Congress

Rahul Gandhi's elevation as Congress Vice President was one of the important outcome of the three-day Congress Chintan Shivir that concluded in Jaipur on Sunday which signals a generational change and a host of reforms in the party at a time when Lok Sabha polls were fast approaching.

The two-day AICC session also saw the young leader also made a emotional and powerful speech on the last day of the conclave.  "Congress calls on all secular and progressive forces of the country to unite in this ideological battle against those, who polarize and divide society," said Sonia Gandhi signaling that the party heading the UPA experiment for last nine years is preparing for polls.

Congress President Sonia Gandhi gave a clear message at the Chintan Shivir that the party has to strike a balance between respecting alliances where it has tied up with other parties and ensuring that the party's rejuvenation is not compromised.

The conclave provided an opportunity to the Congress to finalise its prescription for the next Lok Sabha polls with the party signaling a shift in its priorities by laying greater emphasis on the urban middle classes and youths in view of the changing demographic profile of the country and shrinking rural space.

Rahul Gandhi: I will fight for Congress and people of India with whatever I have

Rahul Gandhi, the newly-appointed Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi on Sunday made an emotional speech at the Congress Chintan Shivir in Jaipur and reiterated his love for his party and the people of the country. While delivering his maiden speech after taking over as the Congress vice president, on the last day of the conclave, , Rahul thanked the party members for appointing him as the party's vice president and said, "I will fight for Congress and people of India with whatever I have."

Rahul Gandhi also cited his grandmother and former prime minister Indira Gandhi's assassination and said that India needs hope of a systemic change to move the country ahead. "All the development in India has been possible because of Congress and the governments led by it," claimed the Congress leader.

Terming his elevation in the party as "a huge honour", Rahul Gandhi said that the Congress works for every single citizen of this country and praised Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and UPA's flagship schemes like Food bill, NREGA, Direct Transfer Benefit Scheme. "Food bill will ensure that no child in the country will go to sleep hungry," said Rahul Gandhi.

"Last night, everyone congratulated me. But my mother came to my room and she sat and cried. Because she understands that the power that so many see is poison. She can see it because she is not attached to it (power)," revealed Rahul Gandhi.

Rahul Gandhi: My mother understands power is poison

In a highly emotional speech after taking over the new post as Congress Vice President, Rahul Gandhi said while delivering his address at Congress’ chintan shivir in Jaipur that his mother – Congress President Sonia Gandhi-  understands that power is poison.

Striking a personal note, the young Congress leader in his maiden address as party Vice President, recalled the moments when his mother and Congress chief Sonia Gandhi walked into his room last night. "Last night each one of you congratulated me. My mother came to my room and she sat with me and she cried... because she understands that power so many people seek is actually a poison," said Rahul Gandhi.

The Congress leader also recalled the time his grandmother and the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi was assassinated in 1984 by security guards with whom he used to play badminton as "friends" and how his father Rajiv Gandhi, who was himself "broken inside", showed a "glimmer of hope" to the people. The young leader received a standing ovation by the audience which included Sonia Gandhi and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh when he said "We should not chase power, only use it to empower others."

Rahul Gandhi said his mother could see that power is poison "because she is not attached to it. “The only antidote to this poison for all of us to see what it really is and not become attached to it. We should not chase power for the attributes of power. We should only use it to empower the voices," added the Congress MP.

Rahul Gandhi recalled that as a little boy, "he loved to play badminton. I loved it because it gave me balance in this complicated world. I was taught how to play in my grandmother's house by two police men who protected my grandmother as my friends. Then one day they killed my grandmother and took away the balance from my life. I felt like I had not felt before." He recalled how he knew his father was "broken inside" and "terrified of what lay in front of him". "My father was in Bengal and he came back.... It was the first time in my life that I saw my father crying. He was the bravest person I knew and yet I saw him cry. I could see...I was small, but I could see my father was broken. They had taken away his mother and he was broken. In those days our country was not what it is today. In the eyes of the world we had nothing, we were worthless.... Nobody thought about us. That same evening I saw my father addressing the nation on TV. I know like me he was broken inside. I know like me he was terrified of what lay in front of him. As we spoke in that dark night, I felt a small glimmer of hope. It was like small ray of light in the dark sky and I still remember what it felt. The next day I realised that many people had seen it as well," said Rahul Gandhi.

Amid repeated applause from the gathering during his 45-minute speech, he said "as I look back... I have a political career of eight years and 42 years old...I could see that it was that small ray of hope in the darkness that helped changed India into what it is today." Rahul Gandhi said without hope nothing can be achieved. "We can have plans, we can have ideas but unless you have hope, you cannot change," he said and added “ He said the Congress is the symbol of hope”. "Congress party is now my life, people of India are my life. I will fight for people of India and for this party. I will fight with everything that I have."

Rahul Gandhi: We do not act in hatred or out of envy

During the visit to his parliamentary constituency, Congress General Secretary Rahul Gandhi met Congress workers, women in the Self Help Group exorted them to associate more people with the movement. He also faced questions on the recent killing of two Indian soldiers at the borders by the Pakistan army. Many people demanded action against Pakistan for the brutal killings.

Rahul Gandhi listened to them patiently and assured them of appropriate action. The Congress leader then attended a meeting with officials of Rajiv Gandhi Charitable Trust (RGCT) for nearly an hour in Amethi and next attended a meeting of the Rajiv Gandhi Mahila Vikas Pariyojna (RGMVP), RGCT’s flagship programme, in Jawahar Navodaya Vidalaya in Amethi’s Gauriganj area, where nearly 2,000 women participated.

Rahul Gandhi raised the issue of brutal killings of the jawans in the meet and asked the women for their opinion. “Some women said since Pakistan took two, now we should take 12,” a source said. Rahul told them that efforts were on to resolve the issue peacefully. “We do not act in hatred or out of envy,” Rahul replied.