Rahul's appeal to Karnataka's people

Kolar (Karnataka): Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Sunday appealed to the people of Karnataka to ensure victory of his party in 150 seats, out of total 224, to ensure that the BJP does not break its government.

Addressing a mega "Jai Bharat" rally here, he stated that he is happy that the Congress unit is fighting unitedly.

"The party is all set to get a full majority. One thing you remember... The BJP, with full force, will attempt to break the government with the 40 per cent money taken from the people.

"They will try to break your own government from the money stolen from you. The Congress should come to power with 150 seats. No chance should be given to the BJP," he said.

Asserting that the Congress is going to come to power in Karnataka, he said Prime Minister Narendra Modi will help top businessmen "and our government will help the poor, farmers, labourers and small industrialists".

"The BJP will open banks doors to industrialists. Our government will open the banks doors to small shop owners, small businessmen, poor and labourers," he assured.

"In few days, the Congress government will take charge in Karnataka. The question is what it will do after coming to power? What will it deliver to youth, women, and the poor?

"After the elections in Himachal Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan, the CMs asked me what they have to do. I told them to deliver the assurances given to the people in the elections at the first cabinet meeting. It should not take one or two years," Gandhi said.

He said that the promises made in Karnataka - of providing 200 units of free electricity under Bhagya Jyothi scheme, Rs 2,000 allowance for woman heads of family under Gruhalakshmi scheme, 10 kgs of free rice for every member BPL family under Anna Bhagya scheme and Rs 3,000 allowance for graduates and Rs 1,500 for diploma holders should be fulfilled in the first cabinet meeting, he added.

He urged that the message should be given to PM Modi and people of the country that, if thousands of crores could be given to Adani and other businessmen, the Congress government can very well give it to the poor, women, and youth.

He claimed that whenever he questioned the relationship of PM Modi with the Adanis, he was targeted.

"I want to talk directly. They (BJP) want to scare me with disqualification, threatening. I will not fear. I will question the shell company and who the Rs 20,000 crore funds in it belongs to. Until I get the answer, I won't stop. Let them disqualify or put me into jail, It won't make any difference," Gandhi asserted.

Alleging that the whole infrastructure of the country has been handed over to Adanis, and thousands of crores come into his company all of a sudden, he claimed: "In Adani's shell company, a Chinese director is there. No investigation is done. How can a Chinese director sit there? No one is questioning. When a question is raised they divert the topic and brand me as anti-OBC."

"Let's talk about OBCs. The power has to be distributed according to the population. Only 7 per cent of Dalits, OBCs and Adivasis are secretaries. Is the SC/ST quota of reservation equivalent to their population?" Gandhi asked.

He challenged PM Modi to make the caste basis census report done during the UPA government in 2012 public. "Let the Dalits, OBCs and Adivasi know what their population is," he said.

Gandhi also demanded that the reservation cap at 50 per cent should be removed. If PM Modi does not release the caste census data, it is an insult to the backward classes, he added.