Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday said after coming to power his party would get the Rafale deal investigated and those found guilty would be punished.

Speaking at a public rally in Karandighi under Bengal’s Raiganj Lok Sabha constituency, the Congress chief lashed out at both Prime Minister Modi and West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee and asked if any of them had created employment opportunities for the youth.

He also took a dig at Trinamool Congress (TMC) chief Mamata Banerjee for alleging that the Congress party was not fighting against the Bharatiya Janata Party in the Lok Sabha polls.

“Today the Supreme Court said that some scam has taken place in the Rafale deal. The chowkidar is a thief. The chowkidar’s appearance has changed. The chowkidar is scared,” Rahul Gandhi said leaving little doubt regarding who he was targeting.

“The Congress is going to defeat Narendra Modi in the 2019 elections. After that, there will be an inquiry into the theft of air force funds in the Rafale deal. And I guarantee that those who stole funds will face punishment. No one can escape this,” the Congress president said.

Though the Congress chief devoted most of his 20-minute speech to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, he also lashed out at Mamata Banerjee, who, in a rally in Chopra (under Darjeeling constituency) had alleged that two Congress candidates in Bengal, Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury and Abhijit Mukherjee were getting help from the RSS.

Emphasising that the Congress was unwavering in its opposition to the BJP, Rahul Gandhi said, “She (Mamata Banerjee) is alleging that the Congress is not fighting against the BJP. Let me ask you, did the Congress ever join hands with the BJP, anywhere, at any point of time? Did the Congress ever strike an alliance with BJP? No, never. But Mamata Banerjee did, didn’t she?”

Incidentally, the TMC that was set up on January 1, 1998 was a part of the National Democratic Alliance for most part of its first 10 years.

“Who first raised the slogan chowkidar chor hai? Who instilled fear in the mind of the chowkidar? Look at him now. He is scared. We have changed the appearance of the chowkidar,” Rahul Gandhi said.

The Congress president also said that after coming to power they would focus on creating a network of government hospitals and educational institutions.

Alleging that the Narendra Modi government had failed to create employment opportunities in the country, Rahul Gandhi slammed the TMC government in the state on the same issue.

Incidentally, in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, Congress won 9.69% votes and four seats in Bengal. However, it is facing a tough contest from the TMC and BJP to retain its tally in the state.

Wednesday’s rally in Raiganj was the second public meeting of the Congress president in Bengal, after the election dates were announced on March 10.

Addressing a rally in Chanchal in Malda district on March 10, Rahul Gandhi had accused the Bengal chief minister of running the state according to her whims. He alleged that Mamata Banerjee did not consult anybody and only functioned according to her whims and proceeded to accuse her of doing nothing for the youth and farmers.

First Published: Apr 10, 2019 19:51 IST