Rahul takes dig at Modi, Mamata over poll promises

Raghunathganj (West Bengal) April 18: Taking digs at Prime Minister Narendra Modi and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi on Monday said both only made promises but did not bother to act on them.

"Modi talks of 'Make in India' programme. He said two crore youths will get jobs. People believed him and brought him to power, but not a single youth got a job," Gandhi said while campaigning here in Murshidabad district.

"The same goes for Mamata as well. She promised jobs to 70 lakh youth. But is there a single youth who got a job? Instead, they have to migrate to other states in search of livelihood," the Congress leader said.

"Mamata promised jobs to Bengal's youth; promised to set up factories; but there are no jobs, no factories; so, we are fighting to defeat her," Gandhi said.

The Congress has tied up with the Left Front led by the Communist Party of India-Marxist for the ongoing assembly polls.

He also accused Banerjee - who wrested Bengal with Congress support - of changing overnight after becoming the chief minister.

"Five years back, the Congress gave support to the Trinamool Congress, hoping that Mamata ji will bring change in Bengal, work to bring jobs, solve law and order issues and bring in industry. We gave her support on the condition that she will work to change Bengal."

"Once the polls ended and Mamata became the chief minister, the very next day she changed. Her working style changed, her way of talking changed and she forgot all her promises she made to the Congress and the people of Bengal," Gandhi said.

The Congress leader also attacked Banerjee and the Trinamool over the mulit-crore rupee Saradha scam, the Narada sting operation and the Vivekananda flyover collapse in Kolkata in which at least 26 people were killed.

"After the flyover collapsed, Mamata ji is now talking of taking action. But I want to ask as to why didn't she act in the last five years when her own men were constructing this flyover using spurious material."

"I want to ask why she did not act when the Saradha scam came out and her people were caught taking bribes on camera," Gandhi said while referring to the sting operation in which over a dozen Trinamool leaders were allegedly shown accepting bribes.

"Much like Modi says that he will bring back black money from abroad, but does not act against (liquor baron) Vijay Mallya or (former Indian Premier League chairman) Lalit Modi, Mamata is also doing nothing," the Congress leader said.

Gandhi said that farmers across the country were distressed, but nothing had been done for them.

"Mamata calls herself a leader of the poor, but did not bother to implement the Food Security Act despite the then United Progressive Alliance government providing funds to the state," he said.

Gandhi said that the Congress-Left Front alliance would succeed in ousting Banerjee from power in West Bengal, adding that the alliance will work for the state's welfare if voted to power.