Giriraj Singh challenges Rahul Gandhi

Patna (Bihar): Union Minister for Rural Development and Panchayati Raj Giriraj Singh on Thursday targeted Rahul Gandhi over some of his recent remarks, stating that the MP reads from a written script and challenged Congress to field him against Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the Lok Sabha polls.

Giriraj Singh also threw a challenge that Congress field Priyanka Gandhi contest against Prime Minister Modi as the INDIA bloc candidate.

"I feel sorry for Rahul Gandhi, he speaks what's written on the note given to him. I challenge Congress today as it's the biggest party of the INDI alliance. Why don't Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi fight one-on-one with Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the elections?... Rahul Gandhi is a big leader of the INDI bloc, then fight," Giriraj Singh told ANI.

He was responding to a question over Rahul Gandhi's remarks in Varanasi during Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra.

The Congress leader had said that "unemployment and the skyrocketing prices were two main and serious problems being faced by the country" and "demonetisation and the wrong implementation of the GST had created havoc with the small and medium scale industry, which used to generate jobs".

Rahul Gandhi had also alleged that there are "two types of Indias" with one type represented by a select few "who had control over the entire wealth and resources of the country" and the other consisting of the poor, the farmers and the downtrodden.

The Union Minister also accused Rahul Gandhi and other leaders of the INDIA bloc of being silent over the "atrocities" on women in Sandeshkhali in West Bengal.

"Rahul Gandhi is in Uttar Pradesh. No INDI alliance leader is saying anything about the Sandeshkhali incident, these people only do appeasement politics. Mamata Banerjee is a woman CM of the state and right under her nose atrocities against women are taking place," he said.

Giriraj Singh also hit out at Rashtriya Janata Dal leader and former Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav over his 'Jan Vishwas Yatra'. "Instead of 'Jan Vishwas Yatra' he (Tejashwi Yadav) should start 'Parivar Vishwas Yatra.' Those who never came out of their family and were also surrounded by allegations are now commencing such Vishwas yatras,' are people even going to trust them?"

(ANI)