To ensure that the underprivileged reaped harvest of growth, there is need to demolish the thick wall of poverty, Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi said on Monday.

“Of course India wants infrastructure like better roads, rail links and airports, but poor people also need our help and they should get the benefits and move forward,” Rahul said at a poll meeting in Pushkar, 10 km from Ajmer on Monday.

Taking a jibe at BJP, he said while Congress wants to help the poor by extending a supportive hand (Congress election symbol), the saffron party wants to break the “wall (of poverty)” by banging the head of the poor against it.

“This is the major difference between us and them,” he said.

Seeking to strike an emotional chord with the downtrodden, Rahul said Congress understands the poor from the core of the heart.

He said there is the difference between Congress and BJP’s style of working and their outlook towards efforts needed to bring development and prosperity in the country.

Like Narendra Modi’s style of establishing a direct connect with the audience, Rahul asked the women whether what he was saying was right or wrong.

Amid applause, pat came the reply from the crowd, “aap sahi hain” (You are correct).

Referring to various welfare schemes launched by the UPA for the uplift of the poor, Rahul cited the example of MNREGA, which provides 100 days of employment to the poor regardless of caste, creed and religion.

Attacking the opposition, Gandhi said, “When Congress spends money on the job guarantee scheme, BJP makes allegation that the money was bungled.”

The Congress leader said his party has brought the Food Security Act, giving legal right to foodgrains to the poor at a very low cost.

He said Congress has promised to give 35 kg of foodgrains (wheat) to every BPL and APL family which does not pay income tax, if voted back to power in the Rajasthan Assembly polls.

“Poor in the country sleep hungry. Neither roads, nor the airports will fill their belly,” he said.

Hailing Gehlot government’s flagship schemes including pension, free medicines and diagnostic care to patients, Gandhi lamented that the “Leader of the Opposition (Vasundhara Raje) is terming the supply of free medicine as spreading poison.”

Rejecting her charge, Rahul said, “Free medicines are giving benefit to lakhs of people in Rajasthan every day.”

“We are learning from Rajasthan’s model of free treatment and medicine distribution and will get it implemented soon in the country,” the Congress leader said.

“I talk very straight, wherever there will be a Congress government, it will be ‘aam admi ki sarkar’, ‘garib ki sarkar’, ‘mahila aur yuvaon ki sarkar’,” he said.

Comparing the previous NDA government’s work with the UPA I and II rule, he said, Congress-led government made three times more work than what was done by the previous regime.

Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, Union Minister Sachin Pilot, and AICC member C P Joshi also addressed the rally.

Modi is ‘closing eyes, resorting to lies’: Sonia

Slamming Narendra Modi over his attack on the Congress leadership, Sonia Gandhi has accused him of closing eyes and resorting to lies to negate the development carried out during 15 years of her party’ rule in Delhi.

Lauding Chief Minister Shiela Dikshit’s tenure, she also projected the state as a model of development, accusing the opposition of knowingly ignoring the development carried out in Delhi.

In her twelve-minutes-long speech, she cautioned the people against those who were trying to mislead them in their sole pursuit of power.

Gandhi’s public rally at DDA ground in Shastri Park on Sunday falling in North East Delhi Parliamentary Constituency represented by PCC chief J P Agrawal, took place a day after Modi’s election meeting in Dwarka in which he had attacked Dikshit, accusing her for failing to provide even basic amenities to the people.

He had said that even small states and cities were better off than the national capital.

The BJP’s Prime Ministerial candidate had also slammed Congress for its arrogance and born to rule mindset, attacking Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Rahul Gandhi and Dikshit.

Rejecting the remarks, Sonia Gandhi said, “I am also a resident of Delhi. All of us are witness to the development that has happened in Delhi in last 15 years. There is a maxim that what is visible to open eyes does not need any proof (Haanth Kangan to Arsi Kya).

“But it’s a different matter if somebody closes the eyes knowingly with a design and resorts to lies.”

Dismissing Modi and BJP’s criticism of the Congress leadership, the party President sought to strike an emotion chord, reminding people of the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi, Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi.

“The opposition has always done the same since Independence, resorting to baseless allegations. Did they spare Mahatma Gandhi. No they did not. Did they spare Jawaharlal Nehru, who was a great freedom fighter…? Did they spare Indira Gandhi, who worked relentlessly for the poor, the minorities…with a special affection for them in her heart.

“It was this sentiment for the country due to which Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi sacrificed their lives. How will they spare us, Manmohan Singh and Shiela Dikshit, when they did not spare those who built our nation,” Gandhi said.

Amid concerns in Congress that Arvind Kejriwal’s party could make the contest triangular in Delhi, Dikshit, who is seeking a fourth term, told the rally that if a wrong decision was taken and Congress was defeated, the entire nation will suffer the consequences.

Cautioning people, she said, “The speed of Delhi’s development should not be hampered. Delhi is marching ahead. If we took a wrong decision and either weakened the Congress government or defeated it, not only Delhi but the entire country will have to face its consequences…Delhi is the national capital. What happens in Delhi first, takes place in the country later.”

As Modi keeps up with “Congress-free India” line, Dikshit said, “No other party tells you what it wants to do for Delhi, what is its plan but its only slogan is remove Congress.”

Gandhi said, “By misleading the people, by creating confusion among them, you can capture the chair but cannot win their hearts. We have served you by our heart and, hence appeal to you to ensure victory of our candidates with a huge number of votes”.

While highlighting that Delhi has welcomed people from all castes, creeds and regions, the Congress President also sought to caution the people against some, who were trying to “spread poison through their narrow ideology”.

“Such people definitely include the main opposition party but there are some other people also. They need to be asked what is their ideology. Can you make good policies without good ideology? All of you are conscious citizens.

“You see what is the history of others and that of ours. What have they done for you and given to the country vis-a-vis the contribution of Congress to the nation. The picture will be clear,” Gandhi said.