Modi is champion of corruption: Rahul

NT Correspondent

Ghaziabad: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and SP chief Akhilesh Yadav on Wednesday launched a blistering attack on the BJP, with Gandhi dubbing electoral bonds as the "world's biggest extortion scheme" and alleging that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is the "champion of corruption".

Addressing a joint press conference with Yadav here just two days before the first phase of the Lok Sabha elections, Gandhi also said there is a strong undercurrent in favour of the opposition INDIA bloc and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) would not cross 150 seats in the polls.

Samajwadi Party chief Yadav asserted that "winds of change" are blowing from western Uttar Pradesh and there will be an INDIA bloc "clean sweep" from Ghaziabad to Ghazipur.

He also slammed the BJP over the issue of corruption, saying "their balloon of morality has burst" and the electoral bonds issue has exposed them.

Asserting that this election is an ideological one, Gandhi said on one hand, there is the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh and the BJP which are trying to end the Constitution and the democratic system of the country, and on the other, is the INDIA bloc that is protecting and defending the Constitution and the democratic system.

"Sometimes the prime minister goes underwater in the ocean and sometimes he is on a seaplane but he does not talk about issues," he alleged.

Referring to a recent interview of Modi, Gandhi said it was "scripted" and a "flop show" with the prime minister also giving an explanation on electoral bonds.

The prime minister said electoral bonds were brought for transparency to cleanse politics but if that is the case, then why did the Supreme Court discontinue them, Gandhi asked.

He asked, "If you wanted to bring transparency, then why were the names of those who donated thousands of crores (of rupees) to the BJP hidden?" Why were the dates on which the companies made donations to the BJP hidden, he asked.

"It was found that a company got a contract for thousands of crores (of rupees) and after a few days, that company made a donation to the BJP. There was a CBI or an ED inquiry on a firm, and after 10-15 days, that firm made a donation to the BJP and that inquiry was ended," Gandhi charged.