Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi in Rajasthan.
Sharpening his attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi vowed that his party will defeat the land bill if it comes up for passage in Parliament during the Monsoon session.
He also took at a dig at the Prime Minister, saying the people will reduce his "56-inch chest" to "5.6 inches" in six months while taking repeated jibes at the Vasundhara Raje government in Rajasthan calling it a "Lalit Modi sarkar".
The Congress Vice President's remarks come at a time when the government is planning to bring the contentious land bill in the Monsoon session of Parliament beginning next week.
Addressing party workers, Rahul Gandhi vowed not to allow passage of the Land bill in Parliament even though Modi government has thrice issued ordinances to this effect.
"First time such a government has come which is helping the opposition. Whenever they get an opportunity, government is helping the Congress. On farmers' issue, they have issued an ordinance thrice. We will not allow the land bill to be passed in Parliament, you will see. Not a single inch of land will be given.
"This 56-inch chest will turn into 5.6 inches in six months. And who will turn this into 5.6 inches, it is the Congress party, people of the country, the farmers and the labourers, you will see," Mr Gandhi said, taking a jibe at the Prime Minister's remark of "56-inch chest" made at the time of the Lok Sabha campaign.
The Congress Vice President also compared the Raje government with the British government in the pre-Independence era when the "remote" of the government was in London, an apparent reference to the beleaguered former IPL chief Lalit Modi who had earlier close links with Ms Raje.
"The way that government's remote was in London, the same way the remote control of this government is in London. He presses the button there and here she (Vasundhara Raje) jumps," he alleged.
Accusing the Chief Minister of helping a "fugitive" who had amassed black money, he said, "She broke the Indian laws by helping a wanted fugitive, a corrupt man who made black money".
"Here it is not a Vasundhara government, but a Lalit Modi government. Everyone in Rajasthan knows, this is not a BJP government or a Vasundhara government, it is Lalit Modi government here," he charged.
Rahul Gandhi also accused the Prime Minister of making empty promises ahead of elections and now turning the other way by remaining silent on corruption.
Hitting out at the Prime Minister for talking of giving Rs 15 lakh to account holders by bringing in black money stashed abroad, the Congress Vice President said, "He (Lalit Modi) is sitting in London with lakhs of crores. Bring him back and remove his government here and install a people's government instead."
Taking a jibe at his promise of not doing corruption or allowing it, Mr Gandhi said, "Please fulfil that promise and bring Lalit Modi back and remove his government in Rajasthan".
Rahul Gandhi, who wrapped up his two-day visit to Rajasthan, where he also undertook a 10-km 'padayatra' and interacted with farmers, said, "In earlier times, those who ruled over India had given their powers to London. The same way, your Chief Minister has signed an authority in England and said I want to help an absconder but Indian people should not know.
"In her earlier term as Chief Minister, they did business together and?Lalit Modi invested money in her son's hotel, which I am told is a government property," Mr Gandhi charged.
Citing the film 'Lagaan', he said, "The characters in the film got united against the British officers who had their remote control in London. Similarly, Raje government's remote control was in the hands of Lalit Modi in London."
The Congress leader also attacked the BJP governments in various states by saying, "Here it is the Lalit Modi government, in Madhya Pradesh it is a Vyapam government, in Maharashtra it is a Munde government and in Chhattisgarh it is a 'dhaan' government. And the Prime Minister with a 56-inch chest is not uttering a single word."
He also lashed out at Rajasthan government for closing down schools and hospitals, alleging that as many as 17,000 schools had been shut by the Raje government.
Rahul Gandhi accused Prime Minister Modi of centralising all powers and said there is only one minister that is Prime Minister and the remaining ministers in his Cabinet are "just for show".
"BJP and RSS want that whatever Modi says that should be followed by Mr Advani and also by the ministers. It's like a puppet show," he said.
Rahul Gandhi said he wants to give space to everyone in the Congress party. "I understood that complaints in the party can not be removed and I also do not want that. This is my family and I want to give space to everyone, I want that every single person is heard in the party," he said while laying stress on bringing experience of veterans and energy of youths together.
"We have experienced leaders like Ashok Gehlot who successfully ran the state government two times. He represents experience. On the other hand, we have energetic leaders like Sachin Pilot, who is not as experienced as Gehlot and I want to bring together this experience and energy and this is my aim," he said.
"As far as the age is concerned, we will have only one rule - who is young at the heart will remain. Ashok Gehlot is young at the heart but Lalit Modi is old at heart," he said.
Mr Gandhi also asked the party leaders to follow discipline and to set aside their differences and get united when it comes to fight against the opponents. "We will have to come out of close rooms to associate with people deeply," he said.
Noting that there is still three-and-a-half years left for the Lok Sabha elections, Mr Gandhi said preparations for it has to start from today, not just ten days or six months prior to it.
The Congress vice president said whoever -- whether he is a big leader or a small one, a pradhan or an MLA -- works on the ground level in the next three-and-a-half years will get the opportunity to fight the elections.
"And if someone does not work on ground, however big he may be, then I have the veto power," he said.
Addressing the women present on the occasion, Rahul said that in the coming days, his party wants to create a place for them as well. "Now you have been made to sit in one corner, but I know that slowly you too will be seen in the mainstream," Mr Gandhi said.
Rajasthan Pradesh Congress Committee President Sachin Pilot said that Rahul Gandhi's visit to the state, which has generated energy among the people, has disturbed the political opponents.
"We will strongly challenge the state government's anti-people policies. The government betrayed people after coming to power with such a majority. Farmers are committing suicide in the state," he said.
Pilot exuded confidence that the party will come to power in the next assembly elections after three-and-a-half years.
Former Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot alleged that the BJP dispensation has weakened the public welfare schemes and programmes that were launched by his government, but claimed that the people have acknowledged the works of the erstwhile regime.
He said the popularity graph of this government has come down in just one-and-a-half years.
After the programme, Rahul also accused the central government of practising vindictive politics. "The government is gradually shifting projects from Amethi to elsewhere. It is vindictive politics," Mr Gandhi told reporters at the airport.