Chowkidar has no money for loan waivers, but served interests of his industrialist friends: Rahul Gandhi

In yet another blistering attack at the BJP-led NDA government at the Centre, Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Friday said, Chowkidar Modi has only served the interests of his industrialist friends, adding that contract for 6 airports were given to Adani when the nation was reeling under the aftermaths of Pulwama terror attack.

Addressing a public gatehring at Maharashtra's Chandrapur, he further assured Rs 72,000 annually to the women of the families under the NYAY scheme if the Congress voted to power in 2019 Lok Sabha Elections.

"Women of the families will receive Rs 72,000 annually under NYAY scheme. We are doing this because Modi govt has given  Rs 3,50,000Cr to a handful of industrialist friends, whereas, farmers in Vidarbha were ignored," the Gandhi scion was quoted as saying.

Moving on to farm loan waivers, the Congress chief said, "Modi government is misleading our farmers by saying there is no money for loan waivers, whereas Anil Ambani gets ₹30,000 Cr worth Rafale deal".

LIVE: Congress President @RahulGandhi addresses public meeting in Chandrapur, Maharashtra. #AmchaRahulGandhi https://t.co/CyIVdm5JjI

— Congress (@INCIndia) April 5, 2019

Early in the day, interacting with students in Maharashtra's Pune, he reiterated his love for Modi but bemoaned that the latter has only anger towards him.

"I love PM Modi. Genuinely, I have no hatred or anger towards the man, but he (Modi) has anger towards me," he said. "I genuinely do not have anger towards him, he added. There were brief chants of "Modi, Modi" soon after this comment, to which Gandhi responded," Its fine.. its OK".

This was not the first time Gandhi spoke of having 'affection' for Modi. In March, he recalled the day he had hugged Modi and said he could not hate him since love "is in the country's grain, every religion, and the Tamil people".

He made those remarks while interacting with students of a college in Chennai. When a student asked him why he chose to hug the prime minister, Gandhi had said he had watched a 'very angry' Modi in Parliament running down his party, his late father Rajiv Gandhi and mother Sonia.

After a fiery speech in Parliament in October last year, Gandhi had done something unprecedented: He had walked up to Modi and hugged him, leaving the PM bewildered for a moment.

Shortly after his interaction with students in Pune, Gandhi tweeted he loves everybody, including those 'temporarily blinded by hatred'.

"Hatred is cowardice. I dont care if the entire world is full of hatred. I am not a coward. I will not hide behind hate and anger. I love all living beings, including those temporarily blinded by hatred," the tweet reads.

Hatred is cowardice.

I don’t care if the entire world is full of hatred. I am not a coward.

I will not hide behind hate and anger.

I love all living beings, including those temporarily blinded by hatred.

— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) April 5, 2019

Maharashtra, which is a representative of 48 Lok Sabha seats, will go to polls in 4 phases on April 11, 18, 23, 29. Seven-phase Lok Sabha Election is scheduled to take place between April 11 and May 19. The counting of votes for all phases will be taken up on May 23, 2019.