Congress leader Rahul Gandhi addressed the Lok Sabha during a Motion of Thanks on the President’s address on Tuesday. The Congress MP hit out at the Centre over the Adani-Hindenburg row by questioning the relationship between billionaire Gautam Adani and Prime Minister Narendra Modi while showing a photograph of the two in the lower House. He also spoke about the Bharat Jodo Yatra, and agniveer scheme.
Here are Rahul Gandhi’s top quotes from his address in Parliament:
1. When we first started walking, we wanted to play the opposition and tell people about their problems. However, as we progressed, after 500-600 km, there was a major change. Instead of us telling the people the source of their problems, the yatra started speaking to us.
2. We ask youth about their jobs, and many said they are unemployed or drive Uber, farmers talked about not getting money under PM-BIMA Yojana, and their land being snatched away while tribals talked about the tribal bill.
3. On agniveers, senior officers told us that it seems the idea came from the RSS and was thrust on the Army. They said they are training 1000s in weapons and then soon after, they will become civilians amid high unemployment.
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4. Retired servicemen said the Agniveer scheme did not originate from the Army but was imposed by NSA Doval.
5. How is it that the Agniveer yojana was mentioned only once in the President’s speech? Words like unemployment, and inflation were not there. So all the issues that people told me about during the yatra, we didn’t hear in the President’s address.
6. During Bharat Jodo – from South to North – one name is repeated constantly ‘Adani Adani Adani.’ Everyone is asking what is this magic that whatever business Adani is doing, it only meets success, never a failure.
8. In 2022, the Chairman of the Sri Lanka electricity board informed the parliamentary committee that the then Sri Lankan President Rajapaksa was pressured by PM Modi to give the wind power project to Mr Adani. This isn’t India’s foreign policy, it is the policy for Adani’s business.
Also read: Rahul Gandhi said long ago Adani’s wealth bubble will burst: Digvijaya Singh
9. PM Modi goes to Australia and magically, SBI gives a $1 billion loan to Adani. Then he goes to Bangladesh and the Bangladesh Power development board signs a 25-yrs contract with Adani.
7. There is a rule that those who do not have prior experience in airports cannot be involved in the development of airports. This rule was changed by the Government of India when Adani was given six airports. After that, India’s most profitable airport ‘Mumbai Airport’ was hijacked from GVK using agencies like CBI, ED and was given to Adani.