AK-203 Rifles, "Made-In-Amethi", Because Of Us, Says PM Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday took the battle against the Congress to party chief Rahul Gandhi's backyard, Amethi, where he also accused the sitting parliamentarian of telling lies and failing to deliver on the promise of generating jobs for 1,500 people. The Prime Minister's first visit to the Gandhi family stronghold since coming to power, was meant to announce projects worth Rs 538 crore and open a factory that would build Kalashnikovs.

The government has been repeatedly targeted by the Congress and its chief over its failure to create jobs and alleged lies on various issues.

On Sunday, the Prime Minister said the factory initiative belonged to the previous government headed by the UPA.

"The promises were made years ago in 2010 by the former government. Why didn't they work towards making the promise a reality?" the Prime Minister said in his address. The past government promised to employ 1,500 people... only 200 people were employed."

Amid chants of "Rahul Gandhi chor hai", he added, "I'm not naming anybody... but you all know who I am talking about... Just the way they ignored national security... they ignored Amethi too."

Rahul Gandhi has been representing Amethi in parliament for three consecutive terms. His parents, Sonia Gandhi and former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, had also been lawmakers from the constituency.

In the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, the BJP's Smriti Irani challenged Mr Gandhi on the seat, claiming that he and his family have done little for the people in the area.

Though she lost, she had been visiting the constituency regularly in an effort to carve out a niche. In the 2017 assembly elections, the Congress lost all four assembly seats it had under the Lok Sabha constituency, the BJP had won three of them.

Ms Irani got a pat on the back from the Prime Minister today. "You (the people) showered so much love on Smriti Ji... she worked so hard and it never appeared that she had lost from Amethi," he added.

Among the other initiatives launched today, the Prime Minister said, were projects for healthcare and cattle shelters.