Piyush Goyal demanded answers from Rahul Gandhi over the scams during UPA's tenure (File Photo)
Union Minister for Railways Piyush Goyal on Friday took a jibe at the Congress party and its president Rahul Gandhi for talking of a "surgical strike" on poverty. The Union Minister said that he has been listening to this from the Gandhi family since he (Goyal) was seven years old.
"I was only seven years old when his grandmother (Indira Gandhi) had said the same thing. I was 20 years old when his father (Rajiv Gandhi) said -- I send one rupee and only 15 paise reach the poor people," Mr Goyal said while talking to reporters.
"I was 40 years old in 2004 when his mother (Sonia Gandhi) and he himself said -- Congress Kaa Haath Garibon Ke Saath.'' Now I am 54 years old and I am still hearing the same thing which I heard when I was 7 years old," the Union Minister said.
"Rahul should answer why his family allowed poverty to stay for 30 years," Mr Goyal said while asserting that the Congress is a party of lies and deceit. "People will do a surgical strike on the Congress and the DMK," the Union Minister said.
He also demanded answers from Mr Gandhi over the scams during UPA's tenure and the National Herald case.
"First he should answer the corruption of Rs 12 lakh crore. Why he cheated India by taking over shares of the National Herald for free," Mr Goyal said.
Accusing Mr Gandhi of insulting the engineers involved in the manufacturing of T18 train, he said: "Rahul does not want India to develop trains. I don't know if he wants to import trains from Italy rather than getting it manufactured in Chennai."
Commenting on the recent judgement of the Supreme Court on Rafale, he said, "The argument in the SC was not on the merit of the case. We are happy that this controversy will be put to rest once and for all."
Taking a dig at Mr Gandhi and former Finance Minister P Chidambaram's son Karti, he said, "I would like to say that the unemployed persons who did not get a job are Rahul Gandhi and son of P Chidambaram, Karti Chidambaram, because they are so used to corruption."
Mr Goyal also thanked the actor-turned-politician Rajnikanth for welcoming the BJP's initiative of inter-linking the rivers.
"I would like to thank Rajnikanth for welcoming the interlinking of rivers. This has been a long pending demand of Rajnikanth for the welfare of people of Tamil Nadu," he said.
All 39 seats in the state will go to polls in a single phase on April 18. The results will be announced on May 23.