Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Friday launched the party’s Lok Sabha poll campaign in Maharashtra with a big promise – 500sqft houses for those living on rent in slums and chawls in Mumbai within 10 days of forming the government.

“The Congress works in the interest of the poor, unlike the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) which acts in the interest of a handful of industrialists,” said Gandhi, at MMRDA Grounds in Mumbai. “We are known to take revolutionary steps for common man. During the Assembly elections in Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan in December, we announced a complete loan waiver if elected to power. Forget 10 days, the decisions were taken within two days. I never lie and am not even known to be a habitual liar like PM Narendra Modi. Remember my words, the decision on 500-sqft houses, from the current size of 300sqft, will be taken in 10 days.”

During his rally at Dhule earlier in the day, Gandhi took a dig at Modi. “Within minutes of the Pulwama attack that killed 40 CRPF jawans, Modi got busy in political meetings and used the developments for political gain. This is the difference between them and us. We restrained ourselves from giving any reaction or making any allegations against the government,” he said.

Dhule is 160km from Nashik, where Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) has an aircraft manufacturing unit. “HAL has manufactured Sukhoi, MIG and Mirage that are used in war and have earned a sizable revenue for the country. Despite that, the Rafale contract was not given to HAL, taking away their opportunity to generate jobs,” he said.

Gandhi said his party also fought against the amendment to the land acquisition bill, as it was against the interest of farmers and tribals. Challenging the PM for a debate, Gandhi said: “His announcement of direct subsidy to farmers translates into ₹17 a day for a family of five. His government waived loans worth ₹3.5 lakh crore for 15 rich people in the country, but gave peanuts to the poor. We have assured direct benefit transfer through minimum income guarantee, once elected to power.”

Gandhi visited the late party leader Gurudas Kamat’s home in Chembur and met his wife, Maharookh, and son Sunil. Kamat passed away in August last year. Speculation is rife that Maharookh may be offered a Mumbai seat in the Lok Sabha elections

First Published: Mar 01, 2019 23:47 IST