BJP balloon will burst: Rahul Gandhi

Jhunjhunu (Rajasthan), April 10 (IANS) Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi said Thursday the BJP balloon will burst as it did during the 2004 and 2009 general elections.

The Gandhi scion was addressing a rally here. He said the Bharatiya Janata Party misled the nation in 2004 and again in 2009 by suggesting India was shinning, but its balloon burst.

Highlighting the achievements of the UPA government, Gandhi said: "We have taken 15 crore people out of poverty. This is not a small work."

He said the Congress party is for the weak, poor and the farmers.

"There is a difference between us and the opposition. We care about all, but they do politics for select few. They talk about Gujarat development, we talk about poor and downtrodden and giving rights," he added.

The Congress vice president targeted the BJP and its prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi.

Taking a dig at Narendra Modi's comment that "I (Modi) don't want to become prime minister, want to be a Chowkidar", Gandhi, without naming anyone, said: "BJP talks about chowkidar (watchman) of tijori (Safe). But I have heard that chowkidars also steal. We (the Congress) want to empower all Indians."

As Rahul spoke, partymen shouted slogans in his support.

"We launched free medicines scheme in the state when we had our government here. Are you getting free medicines now under BJP government....no...the BJP only runs government for big industrialist and not for poor or downtrodden," he added.

"We want to replicate this free medicines scheme all over the country after we come to power", he added.

The Congress vice president said that the BJP talks about corruption.

"But they do not see what is happening in their ruled states... you know the record of your CM... they sit with B.S. Yeddyurappa in Karnataka and do not see mine mafia in Chhattisgarh."

Sachin Pilot, state president of the Congress, also spoke on the occasion.