Rahul Gandhi hits out at NDA regime, says PM Modi's 'magical train headed for a bad accident'

Congress President Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday questioned Prime Minister Narendra Modi's silence on rape incidents that have shamed the nation recently. Targeting the PM, Gandhi called him an "autocratic, incompetent and arrogant driver", who could not care less for the passengers he was responsible for. 

Speaking at a Congress Parliamentary Party meeting in the Parliament House earlier in the day, the Gandhi scion hit out at the Narendra Modi-led NDA regime and alleged that corruption, economic failure, incompetence and spread of social divisiveness has increased under their governance, PTI reported. Gandhi further asked party lawmakers to come up with an alternative. 

Taking a dig at the Modi government's "Achche Din" slogan, the Congress President added that anger against the ruling party has been on a rise and party lawmakers must work hard to provide an alternative to the "bogus promise of Modiji's Achche Din". 

"There is a rising tide of anger against the current ruling dispensation that calls upon all of us to work very hard to give the people of India the alternative they deserve - an alternative to the bogus promise of Modiji's 'Achche Din'," PTI quoted the Congress leader as saying.

He said that the people of the nation are now looking upto the Congress and its allies to help dethrone the ruling dispensation and give them a government which will not only pay heed to their problems but also provide a solutions in order to reduce poverty, unemployment and inequality the nation is faced with today.

"There is a great responsibility that is being placed on all of us today, to win this historic struggle between the forces of democracy and social justice versus those of autocracy and social hierarchy,"  PTI quoted Gandhi as saying.

Addressing his party MPs, the Congress chief said that they must ensure that the NDA should be prevented from taking power again. He called the current government as "forces of hate, division and violence that were trampling the constitution of the country". 

Gandhi got a bit emotional and spoke about restoring hope in the eyes of the farmers and youth of the country. He added that his party members should work towards saving families from being crushed under the double burden of household debts and price rise. Gandhi also touched the issues of women safety and protection of Dalits during his speech at the party meeting. 

The congress President remembered how Prime Minister Modi had promised the nation of transforming it to a "magical train" destined for better days from "a slow passenger train". He said that the "magical train" was on its way to a bad accident and people will not be fooled by the idea anymore.

"Give me your votes, said Modiji, and 'I will take you on the best and most comfortable journey of your life'. Four years of Modi rule later, sadly, India today looks more like a train that is being driven to disaster by an autocratic, incompetent and arrogant driver, who does not care what happens to the passengers he is responsible for," PTI quoted the Congress President as saying.

Just a few weeks back, the Congress President had left the nation surprised after he hugged the Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the Parliament, in what was called "an entertaining act" by the BJP. 

(With inputs from PTI)