Not AAP, only Congress can defeat Narendra Modi: Rahul Gandhi

Congress president Rahul Gandhi Thursday accused the AAP of "opening doors" for Narendra Modi in the 2014 Lok Sabha polls and asserted that it is only his party that can defeat the BJP. Addressing a rally here, his second in four days in the national capital, Gandhi said he acknowledges the Congress has made mistakes, but its intention is good and the party does not promise anything it cannot deliver.

Canvassing for his party's East Delhi candidate Arvinder Singh Lovely, he claimed that PM Modi and Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal make promises that cannot be fulfilled. "The Aam Aadmi Party gave a slogan (in 2014) 'Arvind Kejriwal for CM and Narendra Modi for PM'. The doors for Narendra Modi were opened by the AAP," Gandhi said.

"One cannot hear the slogan 'chowkidar chor hain' (the watchman is the thief) in the Aam Aadmi Party office," he said. In his rally on Monday, Gandhi had held Kejriwal responsible for the failure of alliance talks and claimed the AAP national convener took a "u-turn" from an agreed position and wanted a tie-up beyond the national capital.

Gandhi also cited posters which read 'Hum kaam karte rahe, woh rokte rahe' (we worked, they stalled), a reference to the turf war between the Delhi government and the Centre, and alleged when the AAP contested polls, it never highlighted this. Taking on Kejriwal on the sealing issue, the Congress president said the Delhi chief minister complained that he cannot do anything on sealing.

"You are in power. Small traders... Delhi's backbone being broken, sealing is on. You are the chief minister and you say you cannot do anything? Congress had stopped this in Parliament," Gandhi said. Attacking Modi over demonetisation and GST implementation, he said the "nationalist Narendra Modi" hurt the Indian economy.

Taking a dig, Gandhi claimed the prime minister reads from a teleprompter and this was due to "fear" instilled by Congress workers. "The Congress has made mistakes. I acknowledge that. But our intentions are clean. I didn't make false promise of Rs 15 lakh in bank accounts. I said Rs 3.60 lakh in five years. I won't say I will give you Rs 15 lakh. Kill me, but I won't say it. On the other hand, Kejriwal and Modi have been making one false promise after another," he said.

The Congress president said if his party is elected to power, it will implement the minimum income guarantee NYAY scheme which will increase the spending capacity of people and boost the economy. He also reiterated the promise of filling up 22 lakh job vacancies in the government sector, one of the main poll planks of his party.

The Congress, the BJP and the AAP are locked in a three-cornered contest in Delhi. Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra had on Wednesday held roadshows in support of her party's North East Delhi and South Delhi candidates Sheila Dikshit and Vijender Singh respectively.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)