At Haryana Rally, Rajnath Singh's "Damaad Ji" Jibe At Congress

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh launched a fierce criticism of the Congress party on Wednesday, alleging that its leadership was involved in taking land from farmers.

Speaking at a rally in Haryana's Pehowa, Mr Singh referred to Robert Vadra, the son-in-law of Congress leader Sonia Gandhi, and said, "It is their 'damaad ji' (son-in-law) who took the land of farmers. It was not some relative of the BJP who did that."

Mr Singh accused the Congress of making false promises and not delivering on them. "They make promises and mislead the public, and then those promises are never fulfilled. They should not make promises that they cannot keep," he said.

Speaking on the alliance between Congress and the National Conference (NC) in Jammu and Kashmir, Mr Singh mentioned their promise to reinstate Article 370. "Congress and NC have formed an alliance and say that they will bring back Article 370. Abrogation of Article 370 was important. It was Modi ji who abrogated Article 370. Only the central government has the authority to implement or abolish Article 370, not the state government," he emphasised. 

He also reassured the public that no injustice would be done to the Agniveers. "We need young people in the armed forces. Countries like China, America, and France engage youth in short-term military services. Political parties should unite when it concerns national security," he said.

Mr Singh also criticised Congress for questioning the armed forces' actions during the surgical strikes and airstrikes.

"When our soldiers conduct surgical strikes and airstrikes, Congress raises questions about it. Our Army has shown that India can not only defend itself on its side of the border but can also launch operations across the border if needed," he said.

Mr Singh highlighted the achievements of the BJP-led central government over the past decade, and said that India became the fifth-largest economy.

"In 2014, India was the 11th-largest economy. Today, it is the fifth-largest, and by 2027, we will become the third-largest after the United States and China. We are also the first country to reach the south pole of the moon," he said.

Comparing the financial support provided to Haryana, Mr Singh said, "When Congress was in power, they allocated Rs 21,564 crore to Haryana, whereas under the BJP, the amount increased to Rs 78,345 crore."

He urged the people to vote for the BJP in the upcoming Haryana Assembly elections. "I appeal to you all to support the BJP. Congress makes promises but can never fulfil them. They spoke about a one-rank-one-pension scheme but failed to implement it. Their chief ministers face corruption charges, while no BJP minister faces any corruption allegations," Mr Singh said.

Haryana will go to the polls on October 5 to elect its 90-member state legislative assembly, with the results set to be announced on October 8. In the 2019 elections, the BJP emerged as the single largest party, winning 40 seats, while Congress secured 30 seats.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)