In the last month, Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi has stepped up his offensive against the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led BJP government, commenting on the lack of employment for youth, on the state of the economy and, what he said, was an apparent lack of governance plaguing the country.

On the third day of his visit to poll-bound Gujarat on Wednesday as part of a Navsarjan Yatra, Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi targeted the BJP government for not being able to provide employment to the youth, while favouring top industrialists and companies in the country. “You have no future in Gujarat. They are snatching your money to secure the future of 10 people,” Gandhi told an audience of tribal students, adding that the Congress is coming to change ‘what’s wrong’.

Here is a look at what Rahul Gandhi has said on the Narendra Modi government:

Jobs and unemployment
In his address on ‘India at 70’ at the University of California, Berkeley, on September 12, Gandhi said the central challenge in India is the creation of jobs. He added that institutions such as the banking system and the government, are “geared towards” the top 100 companies in India, making it difficult for entrepreneurs in small and medium businesses to thrive. “Thirty three thousand new youngsters join the job market every single day and yet the government is only creating 500 jobs a day,” he said. “Small and medium businesses are the bedrock of India and the world’s innovation. Big businesses can easily manage the unpredictability of india. They are protected by their deep pockets and connections,” he said.

Gandhi said “hatred, anger and violence and the politics of polarisation which has raised its ugly head in India today” can break India’s economic momentum. “Violence and hatred distract people from the task at hand. The politics of hate divides and polarises India making millions of people feel that the have no future in their own country,” he added.

Governance
While interacting with students at Stanford University, the Congress vice-president had suggested ways to improve governance in the country. “Transparency is needed; it is not easy, but it is powerful. You open up the process, people will see and become experts. People will figure out how to solve a problem and if they don’t know, they will learn and come. I would like to open up the legislature to experts and students so that they can help us with the law making structure,” he had said.

Further, he added, “The main problem is the centralisation of political system. A chief minister or a prime minister has much power to influence things far outside. It is not only a question of decentralisation of power, it is the question of right amount of decentralisation of power to the right level.”

“Modi Model”
Speaking in Morbi district during his Navsarjan Yatra in poll-bound Gujarat in September, Rahul Gandhi targeted the Narendra Modi-led government for favouring a handful of industrialists over small traders, farmers and labourers. “Work is done by the farmer, small trader, labourer, youth and benefits are reaped by 5-10 industrialists. This is the story of Gujarat, Modiji’s model. We have to change this,” he had said. “If we want to change Gujarat, we have to make a government of Gujarat. Government by remote control will not work.”

On farmer issues
As part of his three-day visit to poll-bound Gujarat, Gandhi had raised farmers issues, and the adverse impact of demonetisation on the community. “…Modi ordered notebandi. Country suffered huge loses. Farmers buy seeds by paying in cash. When you buy seeds, do you pay by mobile or phone? Do you pay through cheque or credit card? Don’t know what happened, but Modi launched a severe attack on the economy of the country without consulting anybody,” he had said.

GST, demonetisation
Rahul Gandhi said the introduction of GST was impacting small businessmen. “We suggested introduce a GST with one tax rate and do not rush into the new regime. But they were in a hurry. They introduced a GST with five slabs of tax rates. And today, small businessmen have to file three forms every month. Big companies have accountants. But these small businessmen are unable to fill up forms. Lakhs have shut shops,” he said.

“They have no space in heart for the weak and poor sections of the society… but they open all the doors for the rich people of the society,” the Congress vice-president had added at another rally during his Gujarat tour.

Make in India
During his Saurashtra tour, Rahul Gandhi raised PM Modi’s Make in India initiative. He said, “Wherever Modi goes, he promotes Make in India. But whenever you walk into a shop, it’s all Made in China. On milk bags, there is Made in India and not Made in China. We shall help promote this model which can stand competition from China.”

At Princeton too, Gandhi had commented on the government’s flagship scheme, saying it could be a ‘powerful’ idea if implemeted well. “I like the Make in India concept, but I think that the targeting of Make in India concept should be different. The prime minister feels the targeting of Make in India concept should be large businesses, I believe it should be targeted towards small and medium businesses. If Make in India is implemented well, it is a powerful idea,” he said.

Swachh Bharat
At his Lok Sabha constituency of Amethi on October 4, Gandhi said, “Modi speaks about Swachh Bharat but he does not ask anyone to know whether somebody really wants Swachh Bharat or not. One morning he will wake up and say that he wants Swachh Bharat, brooms will be given to entire country to start the work.”

On the economy
In a series of tweets on October 6, the Congress scion targeted the government for creating a “GST mess” to further electoral interests. His comments came following the GST Council’s decision to reduce tax rates for more than two dozen goods and services, several of which will help enterprises and exporters in Gujarat, which goes to polls in a few months. The list includes man-made filament, synthetic yarn and fibre, and food items from the state like khakra.

“Wish Modiji viewed economic slide and GST mess from prism of solving suffering of people than furthering electoral interests. Then, first step would be to bring petrol/diesel under GST to prevent excessive profiteering from common man as Government of India alone earns Rs 2,73,000 crore,” he tweeted.

“Time to correct the ‘One Nation, Seven Tax’, multiple form filing and draconian power of taxman. Make it ‘Good’ and ‘Simple’ beyond rhetoric,” he had added.

On Doklam
Questioning Modi on the standoff between the Indian and Chinese armies at Doklam, Gandhi asked if he (Modi) was done “thumping” his chest. With a link to an article on China’s road expansion efforts in Doklam, Gandhi tweeted, “Modiji, once you’re done thumping your chest, could you please explain this?” tagging a news report on China’s road expansion efforts in Doklam.

On the RSS
Rahul Gandhi targeted the RSS, the parents organisation of the BJP, for disallowing women. “You know who the parent organisation of the BJP is? It is the RSS. It is their idea that as long as women remain silent, they are good. The moment a woman opens her mouth, they want to shut her up.”

“Have you seen a single woman at an RSS shakha wearing shorts? I have never seen any. Why aren’t women allowed in RSS? They (BJP) have so many women in the party, but I have not seen a single woman in the RSS. What mistake have they made?” he added, during a rally across central Gujarat on October 10.

Source: http://indianexpress.com/article/india/employment-economy-governance-what-rahul-gandhi-has-said-about-govt-in-last-month-4884688/

Chhota Udaipur (Gujarat): Roads were full of cheering and whistling crowds. Curious on-lookers choc-o-bloc in verandahs and windows, walking in the sweltering heat and then waiting hours amid beating of drums and screams. Every word, every sentence getting a resounding reception. This was Gujarat on Tuesday — but the rousing reception wasn’t for Narendra Modi.

Rahul Gandhi, who in his second leg of a three-day pitched campaign in Gujarat, inspired the imagination of the Congress rank and file, as well as hundreds of people where he travelled during the last two days and earlier in the Saurashtra region.

Congress public meetings in the state, over the past two decades, have been a mundane affair, when organised crowds would at best listen with rapt attention and disperse. At a public meeting in Karjan town comprising semi-urban townplace with a mixed population of Muslims and Hindus, the crowds cheered for Gandhi.

“When Narendra Modi ji took over as the chief minister, the public debt of the Gujarat government was Rs 6,000 crore and now it is Rs 2,00,000 crore. Where was this money spent?”, the crowds burst into “chor chhey chor”. Rahul asked if the farmers, the labourer, the students, the small traders benefit by this and there was an instant no in unison.

And in reference to the business dealings of the son of BJP president Amit Shah, the Congress vice-president said, “Jab Narendra Modiji pradhan mantri baney tou unhone kaha woh chowkidar hain… Ab Chowkidar kyon chup hain? Chowkidar hain ya bhaagidar.” This was matched with the same response, interspersed with shouts like “Jutho chhey, chor chhey.”

The response was almost same everywhere Rahul went on Tuesday — Kheda, Anand, Vadodara and Chhota Udaipur districts in Central Gujarat during the last two days.

Rahul struck a natural chord with youths at a question-answer session in Vadodara city, where he was asked everything from what would the Congress party do for the youth, free speech, attack on BHU girl students and privatisation of education.

He received a huge applause when in reference to the BHU assault on female students, he said overall development of girls was nothing more than a rhetoric and that “beti bachao, beti padhao” seemed to have become “Amit Shah ka beta bachao.” Rahul added that women was okay for the BJP and its ideologue RSS till they did not speak their mind, if they do they would be shut up.

The youngsters went into peels of laughter when he asked, “RSS shakha mein aapne kabhi mahilaon ko Delhi hain? Mainey tou nahi dekha, kya aapne shorts mein mahilaon ko shakha mein dekha hain? Mainey nahi dekha.”

While it is a palpable anti-incumbency against the Centre as well as the Gujarat government, in that order, that may be endearing Rahul’s words to many, but the Congress vice-president himself seems to have come off as a stark contrast to the amateur image created for him.

For instance, at the youth interaction in Vadodara he spoke of his own understanding of free speech. When taking a jibe at the RSS for considering women as the second fiddle who were best kept quiet, Rahul said, “Even if there is an unpleasant criticism, even if it has mistakes, it should be allowed. I don’t believe in suppressing anyone.”

Similarly, at another interaction with citizens of Vadodara on Monday evening, he said BJP may be speaking of annihilating the Congress, but he would never do it. He said: “I think both the BJP and Congress are parties of India’s ideologies… born because a section of people believe in each of these ideologies.”

” Therefore, I will never say that I want to annihilate the BJP from the country. They can say that about the Congress, but I cannot say that about the BJP,” he said. “I will fight the BJP, but never not respect its existence as it is an ideology from my country; so is Congress.”

Source: http://www.firstpost.com/politics/gujarat-seems-to-be-viewing-rahul-gandhi-differently-congress-vice-president-gets-rousing-reception-in-vadodara-4131215.html

NADIAD: Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi launched a blistering attack on Modi government citing rising prices, unemployment, poor implementation of GST and poor state of affairs of farmers and small traders as he embarked on his second three day trip to Gujarat on Monday from Hathijan in Ahmedabad.

Latching on to the `Vikas Gando Thayo Che (Development has gone crazy)’ meme, Rahul imitated none other than Narendra Modi himself when he went all out interactive and questioned, “Yeh Vikas ko kya ho gaya hai?’ eliciting “Vikas has gone mad” response from the people at his public meeting in Santram Temple in Nadiad. “BJP has sent Vikas to the mental hospital. We will have to pull Vikas out of the hospital”, said Gandhi.

Gandhi’s first day of the threeday tour to central Gujarat saw the Gandhi scion stop at 70-odd places in his specially designed luxury bus painted, “Navsarjan Gujarat: Congress Aave Che”.

“Jay Maharaj to all” wished Gandhi at Santram Temple.. “I met Guruji inside the temple.This temple gives free education, health and other services irrespective of whether they are rich or poor. Modiji and BJP talk of religion but not like Maharaj here who said one should help all. BJP helps only industrialists. They talk of religion only to get votes”, Gand hi alleged. Gandhi hit out at the NDA government over the state of economy , and demanded that the rates under the Goods and Services Tax not exceed 18 per cent.

“In spite of our request to the Centre, they are charging rates of over 18 per cent under the GST….They should revert to the 18 per cent tax slab,” Gandhi said, adding high taxes have ruined many businesses. Gandhi also attacked the government over its failure to create jobs. India, he said, is competing with China these days. China creates 50,000 jobs every day, but the country under the Modi government is able to generate just 450 jobs per day, he said. “This is because their focus is on development of 100 big industries. When the Congress comes to power, it will develop small and medium scale industries which can create many more jobs, Demonetization resulted in the loss of business of many small traders, he said. “Prime Minister and the people of state know that the so-called Gujarat model has failed. If we come to power, we will propagate the old Gujarat model under which cooperative societies like Amul developed,” he said.

Rahul Gandhi’s ‘temple run’ goes on
In the first leg of his travels, Gandhi deployed “soft Hindutva”, he started his tour from Dwarka, where he visited the Dwarkadhish temple, Chotila temple, Khodaldham in Kagvad, Jalaram Bapa temple in Virpur, and Dasi Jivan temple near Jasdan. He focused on wooing farmers, traders, and those affiliated to religious and social organizations. On Monday, in a bid to attract the Patidar votebank, Gandhi paid his respects at Sardar Patel birthplace in Nadiad. Continuing with the trend of peddling soft-Hindutva, Gandhi made diligent stops at temples, namely the Santram Temple in Nadiad, Ranchodrai Mandir in Petlad and Baba Ramdevji Maharaj temple in Nadiad.

Source: https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/ahmedabad/interactive-rahul-gandhi-strikes-a-chord-slams-pm-over-gst-jobs/articleshow/61014416.cms

After returning from a trip to the US, where he delivered lectures targeting Narendra Modi government at the Centre, Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi has taken up the battle against the BJP in PM’s home state Gujarat. The Congress vice-president has used the opportunity to start a full-scale political battle against BJP in the state. Addressing a meeting in Kheda on Monday, Rahul accused BJP of not running a government of the people. He said, “If Congress comes to power here, it will function as your government. Even small decisions will be taken after consulting you.”

Taking a dig at the PM, Rahul said, “Gujarat knows that Narendra Modi’s Gujarat Model has failed.” “Gujarat mein vikaas ko kya hua? Ye kaise pagal hua? Ye jhooth sun sun ke pagal ho gaya hai (What happened to development in Gujarat? Lies have led to its failure.”

Amid controversy over a media report against BJP chief Amit Shah’s son, Rahul used this to target Modi, who has often called himself a “chowkidar” of the country. Seeking a clarification, the official Twitter handle of Rahul Gandhi tweeted, “Modi ji, Jay Shah-jada’ kha gaya. Aap chowkidaar the ya bhaagidaar, kuch to boliye (Modi ji, Amit Shah’s son has eaten a lot. Are you a gatekeeper or a partner, at least say something).”

Rahul also mocked Modi’s ‘Mann Ki Baat’, a monthly radio address by the PM. “Hum apko apne mann ki baat nahi batayenge, hum apki mann ki baat sunenge (We won’t tell you how we feel, we will listen to what you have to say.),” he said.

Rahul is expected to take over as the party’s president, from mother Sonia Gandhi, by the end of this month.
Commenting on Modi’s claim that nothing happened in the country in 70 years, Rahul said when PM says this, he is not questioning the Congress but people of India. The Congress leader said whatever progress India has been able to achieve it is not because of some party or politician but because of the people of this country.

In Dedarda village, Rahul hasked, “If farmer loans can be waived off, why not of women milk cooperatives?”.

Rahul also targeted Modi government’s policy on loans, saying, “Modi government’s new model is a model for industrialists. Loans given to poor is their right, not a gift. In case the Congress comes to power, we will give loans to the poor, farmers, women, who Modi government ignores.”

In Vadodra, Rahul targeted Modi on issues like jobs, GST etc. “Any economic reform has to be tested with a response from people; law and taxes have to be evolved. We had told the govt to take GST slowly to the people by testing it; but Jaitley ji was not in the mood.”

The Congress leader also said petrol and diesel should be brought under the ambit of GST as it will lead to fall in their prices. In a dig at BJP, Rahul said, “You cannot run this country by cruelty; compassion (Karuna) is the key. If you don’t listen to people in a country like India, you will hurt them; govt must hear. It benefits.”

Rahul said, “BJP does extreme things; but Congress has also not focused on small businesses perfectly, I must admit.” He accused the Gujarat government of privatising all sectors. “Gujarat government is privatising every sector; neglecting public sector, especially education,” Gandhi said. He added that in coming days, competition for employment is between India and China.

On demonetisation, Rahul commented, “India cannot be made cashless immediately; it has to be effected smoothly.”
“Vajpayeeji had called Rajiv Gandhi ‘mad’, when he introduced computers; but a leader has to be visionary. When telecom revolution happened, no one was hurt; it was due to strategic thinking. You cannot implement a policy forcefully in a day,” he added.

He also almost thanked BJP for teaching him a lesson. “BJP has done a great favour to me by abusing, attacking and defeating me in 2014; taught me a lesson,” he said. (With ANI inputs)

Source: http://www.financialexpress.com/india-news/how-rahul-gandhi-is-attacking-pm-narendra-modi-in-his-own-bastion-gujarat/888581/

Beginning the second leg of his Navsarjan Yatra in poll-bound Gujarat, Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi is scheduled to visit various districts of the state on Monday. Starting with Ahmedabad, Rahul has various programmes lined up in Kheda, Anand and Vadodara today.

Rahul Gandhi’s first phase of Navsarjan Yatra ended on September 29. During his three-day roadshow in the state, Gandhi visited Dwarka, Rajkot, Jamnagar, Jetpur and other cities. He addressed rallies and made stops at many villages to interact with the locals. Gandhi came under fire from the Opposition for visiting temples during the yatra.

Here are the live updates on Rahul Gandhi’s Gujarat visit:

1.40 pm: Rahul is expected to take over as the party’s president by the end of this month. The Delhi Pradesh Congress Committee on Saturday passed a resolution urging Rahul Gandhi to take over as the party president. The DPCC passed another resolution authorising Congress president Sonia Gandhi and vice-president to nominate the president of the party’s Delhi unit. All the state units have been asked to complete the election exercise by October 10. Ever since Sonia Gandhi took over as the president nearly two decades ago, the party has not seen elections in the true sense at any level.

1.15 pm: During the first phase of Navsarjan Yatra, Gandhi engaged in some symbolism and tried to portray himself as an approachable leader before the crowd. He rode a bullock cart, sat on a dholiya (a traditional charpoy) had tea in a tansali (a utensil made of brass and bronze) with the family of a Congress leader, and closely interacted with villagers and sarpanches.

12.55 pm: Mocking PM Modi’s monthly radio address to the nation Mann ki Baat, the Congress vice-president said, “Hum apko apne mann ki baat nahi batayenge, hum apki mann ki baat sunenge (We won’t tell you how we feel, we will listen to what you have to say.)

12.35 pm: Demanding a clarification, the official Twitter handle of Rahul Gandhi tweeted, “Modi ji, Jay Shah ‘jyaada’ kha gaya. Aap chowkidaar the ya bhaagidaar, kuch to boliye (Modi ji, Jay Shah has eaten extra. Were you a gatekeeper or a partner, at least say something).” The tweet is in reference to a media report which said the turnover of a company owned by BJP President Amit Shah’s son increased 16,000 times in the year following the election of Narendra Modi as prime minister and the elevation of Shah to the post of party president.

12.15 pm: Taking a dig at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Gandhi said, “Gujarat knows that Narendra Modi’s Gujarat Model has failed.” “Gujarat mein vikaas ko kya hua? Ye kaise pagal hua? Ye jhooth sun sun ke pagal ho gaya hai (What happened to development in Gujarat? Lies have led to its failure,” he added.

11.55 am: Rahul Gandhi is now addressing a public meeting in Kheda. “If Congress comes to power here, it will function as your government. Even small decisions will be taken after consulting you,” he said, while addressing the people.

11.40 am: Gandhi is scheduled to depart for Kheda district from Ahmedabad. In Kheda, Gandhi will first address a corner meeting at Khatraj Chokdi. He will then meet Amul Plant workers in Jibhaipura, following which he is scheduled to visit Santram Mandir and hold another corner meeting at Nadiad.

11.20 am: The Congress vice president has reached Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport, where he was greeted by Congress spokesperson and MLA from Abdasa constituency, Shaktisinh Gohil. Gandhi will now proceed to Hathijan Circle, where he will be welcomed by party workers.

11.10 am: Rahul Gandhi’s itinerary for today includes a meeting with Amul Plant workers in Kheda, an interaction with representatives of Mahila Milk Cooperatives in Anand and one with traders, entrepreneurs and professionals in Vadodara. He is also scheduled to visit Sardar Patel’s birthplace, Nadiad.

Source: http://indianexpress.com/article/india/rahul-gandhi-in-gujarat-live-updates-congress-vice-president-gujarat-polls-ahmedabad-kheda-anand-vadodara-4881552/

Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi hit the campaign trail once again on Monday with allegations that the Narendra Modi government lacks the will to listen to the people.

Gandhi made the allegation while addressing a public meeting at Kheda, about 40 km south of Ahmedabad at the start of the second leg of Navsarjan Yatra in poll bound Gujarat.

“Be it GST or demonetisation, Modiji implemented policies without listening to anyone,” he said. “Congress government will listen to farmers, labourers, women and small businessmen. They have not been heard in past 22 years of the BJP government in Gujarat,” Gandhi added.

The Congress leader is scheduled to travel through five districts of central Gujarat covering 500 km in three days. In the first leg, Gandhi had travelled through Saurashtra region last week.

He started the rally as Gujarat HC commuted capital punishment of 11 convicts in the Godhra train burning case to life sentences. Central Gujarat was worst affected in the 2002 post-Godhra riots. Gandhi is scheduled to visit few temples in this region.

Rahul Gandhi’s latest trip comes on the heels of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit on Sunday to his hometown Vadnagar where he made a number promise and launched the “Intensified Mission Indradhanush” scheme which aims to accelerate the full immunization coverage and provide greater focus on urban areas and other pockets of low immunization coverage.

Source: http://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/modi-govt-lacks-will-to-listen-to-people-says-rahul-gandhi/story-Q8TAsSEznOCM3HviTCeteM.html

The rally is being held in the backdrop of heightened tensions between Singh and PCC president Sukhwinder Sukhu, both of whom will share the stage after months of public acrimony. Singh had been seeking removal of Sukhu from the post ahead of the polls, a move that can be seen as part of his hard bargain to get free hand in the polls.

The rally comes close on the heels of Prime Minister Narinder Modi’s massive rally at Bilaspur, a native town of the Union Health Minister J P Nadda. In Bilaspur, the prime minister had laid the foundation stone for a new AIIMS project.

AICC general secretary Sushil Kumar Shinde said, “The purpose of Rahul Gandhi’s rally is to kick off the party’s poll campaign in the state. We are not drawing any comparison of crowd with that of the BJP’s rally at Bilaspur. It’s all about sending a message to the party cadres. So, we are not focusing on numbers to counter the Bilaspur rally.”

Meanwhile, there is excitement among Singh’s loyalists over the possibility of the party declaring him the chief ministerial face for the state elections. This they feel would be the first milestone to get Virbhadra Singh back in a commanding position in the state.

Infighting within the Congress and recent incidents like the rape and murder of a 16-year-old schoolgirl has plagued the state government’s image. The chief minister is also facing corruption allegations.

Source: http://indianexpress.com/article/india/rahul-gandhi-congress-campaign-poll-bound-himachal-pradesh-virbhadra-singh-mandi-rally-4878731/

NEW DELHI: The Congress has asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi to “explain” to the nation what was happening at Doklam and state his government’s policy on the issue. Rahul Gandhi took a swipe at the prime minister, demanding an explanation about the new road construction being undertaken by China instead of continuing with his “chest thumping”.

Congress spokesperson Kapil Sibal asked PM Modi to explain his policy to deal with the issue and whether he intended to invite Chinese President Xi Jinping to Sabarmati again.

The comments came a day after sources confirmed that China maintained a sizeable presence of troops near the site of the Doklam standoff with India and had now started widening a road, around 12 km from the area of conflict.

“Modiji, once you’re done thumping your chest, could you please explain this?” Mr Gandhi tweeted, tagging an NDTV news report headlined, “With 500 Soldiers On Guard, China Expands Road In Doklam”.

At the AICC briefing, Mr Sibal said, “Your (PM Modi’s) meeting was good, but what was the result of it and what is happening about it. Please tell the country as to what is happening at the border, especially along the Dokalam plateau.”

“What is going to be your policy in this regard and whether you will again invite President Xi to Sabarmati for a swing with him,” the former minister asked.

Mr Sibal asked what was happening in Doklam today and said it is “very disappointing” that Prime Minister Modi met Chinese President Xi at the BRICS Summit and there was a lot of talk about the meeting that would help ease the border tension with China as Chinese troops had withdrawn and so had India, removed their equipment and this matter will not be escalated further. “But what we are hearing now is that in the Doklam plateau near the trijunction and 10 km from the chicken neck, a new road is being constructed and the same equipment is being used there. Reports also say that some 500 to 1,000 Chinese soldiers are also deployed there,” he said.

The Congress leader also referrd to the statement of Army Chief Gen Bipin Rawat who said that the Chinese will be doing excursions and “we should be ready for that”.

Troops of India and China were locked in a 73-day standoff in Dokalam that began from June 16 over road construction activity at the India-Bhutan-China trijunction.

The tension eased after talks between top officials of both the countries.

The Congress, in an article put out on its website, also said that the fresh Doklam development underscores that deft diplomacy was not practiced and requires an explanation from the government.

The article said that the news that China has stationed over 1,500 troops in close proximity to the standoff zone makes warnings given out by Congress leaders earlier sound prophetic.

“In the absence of the NDA government not clarifying particulars as to the de-escalation, this fresh development looks alarming and underscores that deft diplomacy was not practiced,” the article stated.

It said that Indian surveillance has reportedly detected new bunkers, and some road re-laying has also been done in the vicinity. China is reportedly using the road construction materials it brought to Doklam, to strengthen infrastructure in the environs of the standoff zone.

The Congress said it is widely evident that a build-up of roads and bunkers is a step towards China’s stated goal to “exercise its sovereign rights” in the region.

It said Army Chief Rawat has termed these as ‘salami slicing tactics’ and warned that continued tensions may snowball into a larger conflict.

In military parlance, ‘salami slicing’ is a series of many minor actions, often performed by covert means, that as an accumulated whole produce a much larger result that would otherwise be difficult to execute all at once.

The Congress article said in September, China also opened a strategic highway to Nepal via Tibet and China’s state-run Global Times alarmingly stated that this highway is just a “forerunner” to a railway link.

It said as per a recent report, China is reinforcing its claim on the Doklam territory by upgrading the road around 10-km north and east of the earlier face-off site.

“One cannot be sure whether these events had been discussed on the table during the standoff. If it is so, then a legitimate question arises, what all concessions have the government made to the Chinese to solve the crisis?

“Is this just the tip of the iceberg? If instead, the government is getting cold feet, then China’s salami tactics are working,” the article said.

Source: https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/rahul-gandhi-demands-explanation-from-pm-narendra-modi-over-chinas-new-road-in-doklam-1759820

Amethi : Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi will be on a three-day visit to his constituency Amethi from Wednesday, Congress leaders said in Amethi. Gandhi will also visit his mother and Congress president Sonia Gandhi’s constituency Raebareli.

The Congress vice president’s trip to his parliamentary constituency generated headlines after district authorities in Amethi suggested a postponement citing security concerns. However, they gave the go-ahead on Monday.

Giving details of his schedule, Congress leaders said Gandhi would land in Lucknow on Wednesday and leave for Amethi by road, stopping at villages to meet people before staying the night at the Munshiganj guest house.

On 5 October, he is scheduled to hold a janta darshan (a programme to meet people to hear their grievances) at the guest house and meet party workers at Rajiv Gandhi college in Tiloi and in Salon before calling it a day at the Bhuemau (Raebareli) guest house.

On the last day of his visit, he will hold a janta darshan in Raebareli and meet workers there.

Source: http://www.firstpost.com/politics/rahul-gandhi-to-begin-three-day-trip-to-amethi-tomorrow-congress-v-p-will-hold-janata-darshan-programme-4105517.html

Rahul urged people to take pledge to protect “till last breath” the ideas the Father of the Nation stood for.
“Remembering Bapu on his birth anniversary. Lets pledge to protect and defend the ideas he stood for till our last breath. #GandhiJayanti,” he tweeted.

Born on this day in 1869, Gandhi led Indias struggle for independence and also influenced movements for civil rights in other parts of the world. He was assassinated in January 1948.

Shastri, Indias second prime minister, was born in 1904 and served in the office between June 1964 and January 1966. PTI

Source: http://indiatoday.intoday.in/people/rahul-gandhi-profile-autobiography/17735.html

Gandhi started the third and last day of his Navsarjan Yatra in Saurashtra of poll-bound Gujarat by climbing 650 steps to reach the hilltop temple of Chamunda Ma at Chotila where he joined several other devotees in offering prayers.

“We never expected Rahul Gandhi as our fellow devotee. It was quite a surprise,” said Bhimbhai Arjan, a local.

Later, addressing a gathering, Gandhi took a dig at the Modi government’s policies, asking why “Vikas has gone crazy?”, referring to a popular jibe that has gone viral on internet under the Gujarati title “vikas gando thai gayo che”.

“India’s economy has been destroyed. But everyone is quiet because they are afraid to speak against Narendra Modiji. These are not my words. Senior BJP leader Yashwant Sinha has written this in a newspaper article today,” he said.

http://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/rahul-gandhi-targets-modi-s-development-model-again-says-fake-mou-model-a-failure/story-8yWeltn45e6bI8cSWEWOzN.html

“These days, the world is talking about the US, China and India. Earlier, the world used to make fun of us. It took 70 years to get India world recognition. It didn’t happen in one year. Mahatma Gandhi made the beginning. It happened gradually. We helped India find her feet with the Green Revolution, White Revolution, telecom, computer technology, nationalisation of banks etc. All this happened, thanks to the farmers of the country,” Rahul said.

The Congress vice-president was addressing a public meeting at Jasdan town in Rajkot on third and final day of his Navsarajan Yatra in Saurashtra.

The BJP has claimed India’s stock in the world rose after Narendra Modi became the Prime Minister in 2014.

Rahul continued his attack on Modi and the so-called Gujarat model of development.

http://indianexpress.com/article/india/rahul-gandhi-gujarat-visit-took-70-years-not-one-to-raise-indias-global-stock-4864568/