Amit Shah slams Rahul Gandhi over India-US trade deal claims
Union Home Minister Amit Shah accused Rahul Gandhi of spreading lies over trade deals and said farmers and fishermen are fully protected. Addressing a rally in Karaikal, he also attacked the previous Congress government in Puducherry over corruption
Karaikal (Puducherry): Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Saturday asserted that the interests of Indian farmers and fishermen have been fully secured in the recent FTAs and the Indo-US trade deal signed by the country, and slammed top Congress leader Rahul Gandhi for misleading them with “lies” and trying to create an “illusion”.
Also, Shah praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s decisive leadership by taking resolute action against terrorism, the surgical strikes after the Pulwama attack, and later Operation Sindoor. He paid Shradhanjali (tributes) to the CRPF jawans who made the supreme sacrifice for the nation.
Launching a scathing attack on the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Shah charged that Gandhi “has started a new tradition of telling lies daily” and asked him to “carefully” go through the fine print of the recent deals clinched with the UK and the EU, besides the US, which has particularly come under sharp attack from the Congress MP.
“Its Rahul Gandhi’s policy to lie, lie loudly, repeat it. But people have identified your lie manufacturing factory,” he said in his address at a well-attended BJP rally in this poll-bound Union Territory.
“Rahul Gandhi wants to mislead the country’s fishermen and farmers. He intends to spread illusion by telling lies,” Shah charged.
In the Free Trade Agreements signed with the UK and the EU, besides the Indo-US trade deal, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has ensured “100 per cent protection” for farmers, fishermen and livestock breeders, Shah said.
Asking Gandhi to go through the provisions in the FTAs and the trade deal carefully, Shah reiterated that the interests of Indian stakeholders have been ensured “100 per cent”. Fishermen would benefit from the FTAs.
He charged that farmers’ interests were “sold off” during the UPA regime headed by the late Manmohan Singh.
“The FTAs and trade deal will not cause any harm to our farmers. The harm to farmers was done during your Manmohan Singh government. Several global agreements were signed back then in which the interests of farmers were sold off. Here, Narendra Modi ji has ensured the protection of farmers and livestock rearers,” he said.
PM Modi has worked to provide 100 per cent protection to farmers, brothers and sisters involved in animal husbandry, and fishermen, Shah stated.
Further, the top BJP leader targeted the previous Puducherry Congress regime led by V Narayanasamy (2016-21) over corruption and cited a recent CAG report. He alleged that “the entire development fund of Rs 15,000 crore was swallowed” in the Union Territory during the Congress-led government. A probe into the matter has begun, and Rs 15,000 crore is Puducherry’s three-year budget. Narayanasamy’s government had turned the UT into an “ATM for the Gandhi family”, and his objective was to fill the coffers of the Delhi high command, Shah charged.
“They openly auctioned off PG and diploma seats. They even sold the reserved seats for SC and ST to wealthy people out of greed for money. They did the CENTAC scam (medical admission scam), and the CBI is investigating it. They left the transport mafia free to trouble the public,” he alleged.
For five years, the Congress government created an atmosphere of corruption and disorder in Puducherry. In those years of bad governance, not only was there corruption, but institutions here did not function properly, he said, adding that disorder was at its peak. “Earlier, Puducherry’s decisions were taken by the Gandhi family in the Delhi court, but now Puducherry’s decisions are being taken by Puducherry itself.”
In the last five years, the AINRC-BJP regime ended corruption, and “we have changed disorder into order”. Now is the time, in the next five years, to make Puducherry a developed territory, he said, adding that there was a need to move forward with the resolve to make the UT developed in every aspect.
The leader emphasised that in the coming five years, the primary focus would be on building an ecosystem that connects the products of Puducherry’s fishermen to the international market. Further, he asserted that Puducherry would be transformed into a centre of excellence for IT software, AI and data centres, ensuring that every youth gets ample employment opportunities.
Days ago, PM Modi visited Malaysia, where Tamils live in large numbers. There, he announced the establishment of a Tiruvalluvar chair at a Malaysian varsity, Shah said. Modi has also assured scholarships to Malaysian Tamils. In Malaysia, the Tamil language has now received the status of an official minority language, he added.
Shah said the PM would soon visit Puducherry, where polls are due in April, to announce and inaugurate various development schemes. He appealed to voters to elect the AINRC-BJP government again under Chief Minister N Rangaswamy and Modi’s leadership for the region’s development.
He expressed confidence in the NDA forming the government by securing more than 24 seats in the 30-member Assembly. He underscored the achievements of the “double-engine government” in ending corruption and ensuring political stability.
The BJP veteran also expressed confidence that in 2029, under PM Modi, the BJP-led NDA will assume power again at the Centre.
Meanwhile, as part of the BJP’s election campaign, Shah painted the party’s lotus symbol on a wall in the UT.
