Narendra Modi is not fighting corruption, he is corruption, says Rahul Gandhi at Congress' 84th plenary session

Congress president Rahul Gandhi, in one of his most scathing attacks on the prime minister, said on Sunday that Narendra Modi 'is not fighting corruption; he is corruption.'

"Narendra Modi cannot fight corruption"

Taking a swipe at the prime minister over the PNB fraud, Rahul said, "Modi gives Modi 30,000 crores of your money and in turn, Modi gives Modi money for marketing Modi and fighting elections. Even in cricket, the most corrupt name is similar to that of our prime minister. The name Modi symbolises the collusion between India's biggest crony capitalists and the prime minister of India," said Rahul. "Today, the corrupt and powerful control the conversation in the country," added Rahul.

Talking about the Rafale controversy, Rahul alleged that Modi personally changed the deal. "We paid Rs 570 crores per plane and Modi paid Rs 1,670 crores for the same plane. He paid Rs 1,100 crore more per plane. Forget fighter planes, you can’t trust such a man to buy vegetables!," he said.

Rahul said that for the poor, the only options are to be contractors, labourers or be unemployed since "they are destined to live in Modi's maya". Accusing the prime minister of jumping from one event to another to divert attention from real issues, Rahul said, "At a time when there is no employment and farmers are dying, Modi tells us to go to India Gate to do yoga. When it's time for the prime minister to speak, he goes silent. No one can prevent the Congress party from speaking for India and seeking truth and justice for the people."

Continuing his attacks on Modi, he said, "Modi ji thinks he is not human but an incarnation of God".

Congress vice-president addresses the crowd at 84th Congress plenary on Sunday. Twitter@INCIndia

About BJP's recent electoral performances, Rahul said, "Modi's expression has changed after the recent defeats. He is probably scared that now if we have lost parts of Gujarat, we might be in trouble in the 2019 general elections."

Saying that the BJP has spread fear everywhere and even the media is scared of Modi, the Congress president said, "For the first time in history, Supreme Court judges sought justice from public," said Rahul. Recalling the Vyapam scam and paper leaks, Rahul said, "Education is not just for the elites. If we come to power, we will ensure higher education in every nook and corner."

'BJP fights for power like Kauravas'

Drawing a Mahabharata analogy, Rahul said, "The Kauravas were powerful and arrogant. The Pandavas were humble and fought for the truth. Like the Kauravas, the BJP and RSS are designed to fight for power. Like the Pandavas, Congress is designed to fight for truth."

Acknowledging that the Congress has made mistakes, Rahul said, "The last government we formed did not stand up to the expectations of the people. The people of the country were let down by us".

He said that India expects more from the Congress because it holds it to a higher standard than any other party.

Taking a jibe at Amit Shah, Rahul said that, "The RSS will even accept a man accused of murder as the president of the BJP."

"They tell Muslims of India, who never went to Pakistan and supported this great nation, that you don't belong here. They tell the Tamils to change their beautiful language, they tell the people of the North East that they don't like what you eat. They told Gauri Lankesh and Kalburgi that if you question us, you will die. They tell our honest businessman to shut up and allow corrupt officers to extort their hard earned money. They tell our farmers to work for nothing," said Rahul.

The Congress president also assured that ground level workers of the party will get tickets and that he wishes to break the wall between the grassroots workers and leaders.

BJP slams Rahul's address, calls it "rhetoric of a loser"

Union defence minister Nirmala Sitharaman, addressing the media after Rahul Gandhi's speech, said that the Congress president's accusations were the 'rhetoric of a loser.'

Sitharaman said, "While the Congress compares itself to the Pandavas, its leader questions the existence of Ram." She alleged that the party 'always chooses to mock Hindu rituals.'

Sitharaman added, "How can the Congress refer to themselves as Pandavas? They imposed the Emergency and were solely responsible for the anti-Sikh riots. They were involved in corruption cases worth Rs 12 lakh crore."

Referring to the results of the recent bypolls in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, she said, "The BJP graciously accepted its mistakes and said that it would work on them. However, the Congress lost its deposit."

The defence minister also touched upon the concerns raised by four Supreme Court judges, saying that, "These are the internal concerns of the judiciary and they will sort it out. Since when has the Congress become the protector of the judiciary?"