Maharashtra Election 2024: In a sharp attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Congress MP and Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, suggested that Modi is experiencing a “memory loss,” drawing parallels with outgoing US President Joe Biden. Addressing an election rally in Amravati ahead of the 20th November assembly polls, Rahul criticised the BJP for alleged constitutional violations and accused the party of misleading the public on key issues.

“My sister was telling me that she heard Modi ji’s speech. And in that speech, whatever we say, Modi ji is repeating the same things these days. I don’t know, maybe he has lost his memory,” Rahul remarked. He drew a parallel to Biden’s mistake, where the US President had mistakenly introduced Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy as Russian President Vladimir Putin during a NATO Summit in Washington. Rahul said, “The former President of America used to forget; he had to be reminded from behind. Similarly, our Prime Minister is losing his memory.”

#WATCH | Amravati, Maharashtra: Congress MP and Lok Sabha LoP Rahul Gandhi says, “My sister was telling me that she heard Modi ji’s speech. And in that speech, whatever we say, Modi ji is saying the same thing these days. I don’t know, maybe he has lost his memory. The former… pic.twitter.com/bsF0wQ0KpO

— ANI (@ANI) November 16, 2024

He further alleged that PM Modi has been echoing his statements in recent speeches. “I have been saying for a year in every speech that the BJP is attacking the Constitution. Now, Modi is saying Rahul Gandhi is attacking the Constitution,” he remarked. Rahul emphasised his demand for a caste census and the removal of the 50 per cent reservation cap, slamming the Prime Minister for suggesting he opposed reservation.

“I say we will remove the 50% cap on reservation. I told him in the Lok Sabha that a caste census should be conducted and the 50 per cent cap on reservations should be removed. Now he is saying in his election rallies that I am against reservation. He is suffering from a memory loss,” he quipped. 

“In the next meeting, he may even say Rahul Gandhi is against caste census when I am directly asking him to conduct it,” the Congress leader remarked.

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Congress Considers Constitution As Country’s DNA, For BJP-RSS It’s A Blank Book: Rahul Gandhi

Highlighting the significance of the Constitution, the Lok Sabha LoP said, “There is a fight between two ideologies in the country. On one side is INDIA bloc and on the other side is BJP-RSS. We say that the country should be run by the Constitution and Narendra Modi says that the Constitution is a hollow book, nothing is written in it. Congress considers the Constitution as the country’s DNA, while for the ruling BJP and the RSS, it is a blank book.” 

His retort came in response to PM Modi and BJP’s claims that he displayed a copy of the Constitution with blank pages at campaign rallies.

देश में दो विचारधाराओं की लड़ाई है।

एक तरफ INDIA गठबंधन और दूसरी तरफ BJP-RSS है।

हम कहते हैं कि देश संविधान से चलना चाहिए और नरेंद्र मोदी कहते हैं कि संविधान एक खोखली किताब है, इसमें कुछ नहीं लिखा है।

ये किताब RSS-BJP के लोगों के लिए खोखली होगी, लेकिन हमारे लिए ये इस देश का… pic.twitter.com/g0TziIEiWA

— Congress (@INCIndia) November 16, 2024

He also attacked the BJP’s economic policies, describing the Goods and Services Tax (GST) and demonetisation as “weapons to kill farmers and small businesses,” and linked these measures to rising unemployment and societal unrest. “I want to tell Modi ji that industrialists haven’t chosen you to be the PM; it is done by the people of India. It is true that industrialists have marketed him,” he said, asserting that the opposition spent crores to malign his image because of his advocacy for Dalits, Adivasis, and backward classes.

In a strong rebuke of the BJP’s political strategies in Maharashtra, Rahul Gandhi claimed, “Nowhere in the Constitution is it written that governments can be toppled by purchasing MLAs, as was done in Maharashtra”. He also criticised the alleged waiving of debts amounting to Rs 16 lakh crore for top businessmen.