Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of toppling his party's government in Madhya Pradesh in 2020 by purchasing MLAs. He also expressed confidence that the Congress would win around 150 seats in the state Assembly elections to be held on November 17.
Addressing an election rally in MP's Vidisha, Rahul Gandhi said, "A storm is going to come in favour of the Congress. The party will be winning 145 to 150 seats. Five years back, you [people] elected a Congress government, but BJP leaders [Prime Minister] Narendra Modi, [MP Chief Minister] Shivraj Singh and [Union Home Minister] Amit Shah purchased the MLAs and stole your government," Gandhi said.
The Kamal Nath-led Congress dispensation, which was in power in Madhya Pradesh for 15 months till March 2020, waived farm loans of 27 lakh farmers. But by toppling that government, the BJP deceived labourers, farmers, small traders and unemployed people, said the Congress leader.
The Congress ousted the BJP from power in Karnataka and Himachal Pradesh through love and not hatred, he added.
"The BJP ran a 40 percent cut government in Karnataka...[After Congress came to power there] I told the Karnataka chief minister to return the money that the BJP government snatched from the pockets of poor people in five years. I told him to return the money to the poor, which the BJP had given to the rich," he said.
People in the Congress-ruled Karnataka and Chhattisgarh are getting LPG cylinders at Rs 500 each, while people in other states are paying Rs 1,200-1,400 here for the same, Gandhi said.
The former Congress president said the Congress fulfilled all of its promises in Karnataka, including farm loan waiver and free bus travel to women. Farmers in Chhattisgarh are getting the guaranteed minimum support price (MSP) of the crop, and labourers are being paid Rs 10,000 as wages. This is strengthening the local economy, he said.
Meanwhile, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said the Congress party's government was the "government of entertainment".
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"We [referring to the BJP government] will do the development, Congress has no strength. Our government is a double-engine government. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is a wonderful leader of the world. So there is a double-engine government of PM Modi and Mama [referring to himself]. The Congress government is a government of entertainment," he added.
Attacking Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, he said the brother-sister duo comes to the state only for entertainment.
"Both brothers and sisters come only for entertainment here. They lie so much. Priyanka Gandhi had said that only 21 people were given employment in three years. Rahul Gandhi also says anything. This brother and sister lie every day. We are double engine and they are entertainment," he added.
(With inputs from agency)