Rahul Gandhi quotes an Urdu couplet by poet Bashir Badr

Alleging that the hill state of Uttarakhand had been deprived of its dues, the Congress functionary said, “Why did the Modi government not give Uttarakhand its dues of Rs 7,000 crore? The state has been robbed of its rights and important sectors such as tourism and transport have been hit. Workers from State Infrastructure and Industrial Development Corporation of Uttarakhand Ltd have been asked to leave,” Gandhi said. He added, “Farmers buy seeds through cash, not through mobile phones. Labourers get daily wages in cash, not via credit cards. Unemployment is highest at this moment due to demonetisation.”

While his speech was going on, the crowd cheered and waved enthusiastically. Some also shouted slogans against the Centre. Noticing this, Gandhi told them to be restrained. “Don’t say murdabad to anyone. They do that, we don’t. This is Gandhiji’s party,” he added.