We will tear down Agniveer scheme, throw it in dustbin, says Rahul Gandhi

As the campaigning for the sixth phase of the Lok Sabha polls, scheduled for 25 May, draws to a close, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi addressed a rally in Dilshad Garden, North East Delhi, attacking the Modi government over the Agniveer scheme.

Gandhi declared, “We will tear it down and throw it in the dustbin.” He was campaigning for INDIA candidate Kanhaiya Kumar in the North East Delhi Lok Sabha seat and later in the day, he will hold a public meeting in Mangolpuri, North West Delhi.

Emphasising that the election is a battle of ideologies rather than a quest for power, Rahul Gandhi said, "In the end, this is a fight between ideologies — they (the BJP government) know that 90 per cent of the people in India, such as the poor, Adivasis, and Dalits, do not have any say in the country. They want India to be run in the same way that rajas and maharajas used to govern."

Doubling down on his criticism of the Modi government, Gandhi stated, "Narendra Modiji has lied. He promised to provide employment to 2 crore youths, but he destroyed the system with demonetisation — small shops, small traders, and small factories were decimated to benefit Adani and Ambani."

"The whole system has been crippled — factories are closed, small and medium businesses have shut down, and the units that used to manufacture t-shirts and pants are no longer functioning. Bangladesh has now surpassed us in textile production," he added.

Addressing a recent accident in Pune, Gandhi remarked, "When it comes to people who drive trucks, Ubers, or Olas, if they are involved in an accident, they are fined and imprisoned for 10 years. But in Pune, an arabpati’s son, who wasn’t even 18-year-old, killed two people in an accident, and the court merely asked him to write an essay."

"I want to ask why a truck driver isn't given the same leniency to write an essay when involved in an accident?" Gandhi questioned.

Criticising BJP leaders' intentions towards the Constitution, Rahul Gandhi stated, "For the first time, BJP leaders have openly said they will dismantle the Constitution if they come to power. I want to tell the BJP and RSS that they can't do this. They have the citizens of this country and Congress standing against them. Reservation, elections, democracy, the green and white revolutions, MNREGA, and more are the results of this Constitution. We will never let it be destroyed."

Referring to PM Modi as 'the one who claims he was sent by parmatma,' Rahul Gandhi said, "The strange fact is that the person who claims he was sent by parmatma only works for 22 people. He works for Ambani and Adani. He does whatever the Ambanis and Adanis want within 2 minutes — whether it’s the railways, infrastructure, or the Agniveer scheme."

Criticising Prime Minister Narendra Modi further, Gandhi said, “People were dying during COVID, and he told them to bang thalis (plates). People were dying on the streets, and he told them to bang thalis.”