Grand alliance of oppn a sentiment of people: Rahul Gandhi

Mumbai: The grand alliance of opposition parties to take on the BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi is not just the sentiment of politicians but also of the people, Congress President Rahul Gandhi said today. The Congress, he said, is trying to join together these voices and the work is going on.

“It is the sentiment of the people and not just political parties which are opposed to the BJP, to have a mahagathbandhan (grand alliance) that can take on the BJP, the RSS and Prime Minister Narendra Modi,” he said at a press conference here.

“Prime Minister Modi and the BJP are attacking the Constitution and institutions of the nation,” he alleged, saying the question facing the people is how to stop this.

He said the opposition has been asking Prime Minister Modi to bring prices of petrol and diesel under the Goods and Services Tax (GST), but “he is not interested.”

“There was an attack on Mumbai (through demonetisation). There are small industries, traders here… The leather industry and the cloth industry. They were attacked through the ‘Gabbar Singh Tax’. The whole country is sad. Small businessmen are sad and we are fighting for them,” he said. He said during the UPA government’s rule, the crude price was USD 130 a barrel that has now come down to USD 70 a barrel.

“However, the benefit has not been passed on to the common man. Where does this money go? In the pockets of 15 to 20 rich people,” Gandhi alleged. The 47-year-old Congress president is on a two-day visit to Maharashtra since yesterday.