Modi govt attacking Constitution, working for handful of billionaires: Rahul Gandhi

Sonipat, Oct 1: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday accused the Narendra Modi government of attacking the Constitution and also slammed it over various issues including unemployment, the Agniveer scheme and farmers' welfare.

Addressing a public meeting in Sonipat while campaigning for the October 5 Haryana assembly polls, he also alleged that the government was working for a handful of billionaires in the country.

"While en route to this place, a man stopped me. He told me he runs a small business. He said Modi and the Haryana government destroyed him," the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha said as he blamed demonetisation and "wrong" GST.

"He (the man) told me they did this to help Adani and Ambani," claimed Gandhi.

"Everyone knows that the central and Haryana governments are being run to help two-three 'arabpatis'. Whatever avenues of employment you had, they have been shut," he alleged.

Attacking the BJP-led government over the issue of the Agnipath scheme, he alleged “the military recruitment programme was a way to "steal" a soldier's pension, canteen facilities and martyr status he gets (when he lays down life for his motherland).

Earlier, there used to be public sector, government factories, these have been privatised. Wherever, you see, you will only see Adani and Ambani names, he further alleged.

Gandhi claimed that the motive behind "stealing" jawans' pension was to hand over the defence budget to Adani.

He alleged that a company owned by Adani was putting its labels on weapons which were manufactured by foreign companies.

"Modi only wanted to give a defence contract to Adani," he charged.

"On one side the pension of jawans was snatched, martyr status and the same money goes into Adani's pocket," he alleged.

He raised the drug menace issue in Haryana and said everyone knows drugs are spreading tentacles.

"I want to ask Modi ji when thousands of kilos of heroin was seized from your friend Adani's Mundra port, what action did you take? How many did you send to jails for this," he asked.

"When thousands of kilos of drugs were seized, Narendra Modi, Gujarat government did not take any action," he claimed.

Gandhi again raised the issue of several Haryana youths going to the US while adopting an illegal route after spending a huge sum of money in search of better future saying they were unable to get employment opportunities in their home state.

"This is what the Haryana government and Modi has given. Earlier the employment which people used to get has been shut," he said.

Holding a copy of the Constitution in his hand, Gandhi said whatever poor people of the country, the Dalits, farmers, backward classes, it is because of this.

"For 24-hours, BJP attacks this (Constitution)," he alleged while flashing the copy of the Constitution before the gathering.

"When RSS puts their own people in the country's institutions and does not give any place to the Dalits, backwards, tribals, poor, they are attacking the Constitution. When Narendra Modi helps people like Adani and Ambani and destroys the employment system of the country, they are attacking the Constitution," he alleged.