If voted to power, BJP plans to abolish UPA welfare laws: Rahul Gandhi

Amethi: Questioning BJP's intention on development issue, Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi on Sunday alleged that the saffron party if voted to power planned to abolish welfare laws such as food security and employment guarantee introduced by the UPA government.

"I have got information that the intention of BJP and Modi is not clean. They intend to abolish legislations like food security, employment guarantee etc," he alleged while addressing an election rally at Tekarmafi here.

Gandhi alleged that farmers, who had been deprived of their land in Gujarat, were not being considered as native residents and were being forced to leave the state.

Alleging that Modi's development model was limited to one or two industrialists of which one was Adani, Gandhi claimed that Congress waived off Rs 70,000 crore loan of the farmers while on the other hand Modi gave land worth Rs 40,000 crore to Adani alone.

"In Gujarat, 45,000 acre land of farmers was given to Adani at the rate of Rs 1 per square metre, which was later sold at the rate of Rs 800 per square metre. "Before giving land to Adani, Modi didn't even ask farmers even once. I fought for Bhatta Parsaul, therefore we formulated the land acquisition law," he said.

"Farmers in Gujarat are a harassed lot. They are being forced to leave the state saying that they were not native residents. Some of the farmers met me and narrated their stories," Gandhi added.

The Congress vice-president said he respected women a lot and realised that they played an important role in the working of the country and had, therefore, created opportunities for 12 lakh of them by connecting them with banks.

"Modi talks about giving power to women. I want to tell him that women of India are not weak. They are internally strong. Modi should learn to respect women," he said and raked up the 'snoopgate' row by alleging that policemen in Gujarat used to tap phones of women and harassed them.

Continuing his tirade against Modi, Gandhi said the BJP prime ministerial candidate has claimed that Rs 8,000 crore was allocation on education and health under his Gujarat model but despite this, facilities there were very poor.

Gandhi said while Congress stands for the politics of unity, others were dividing people on religious lines.

"We want a country where no one is hungry, every person has a roof of his own. A place where free treatment facility is available and there is a smile on the face of a poor person. In this Lok Sabha election if Congress government comes to power, we will do all this," he said.

Claiming emotional connect with Amethi, Gandhi said, "I came to Amethi with my father Rajiv Gandhiji at the age of 12. At that time there were no roads, power, drinking water, industries and school. I have not come here with political intention, I have a homely relation. Our relationship is that of heart, which opposition parties could not digest."

"Rajivji framed farsighted development schemes as a result Amethi has changed today. Those, who are opposing me me, Soniaji and Priyankaji, are those, who used to oppose Rajivji as well. Some people have come here with the intention to separate us," Gandhi alleged.