Wayanad (Kerala), Apr 20 (Agencies): Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi on Saturday hit out at the Narendra Modi government for making false promises to people and ignoring the country's farmers.
Campaigning in Wayanad for her brother, Congress President Rahul Gandhi who is also contesting the Kerala seat in addition to his traditional Amethi constituency, she told a gathering that the Modi government has ditched the farmers but the Congress-led UPA government, if it comes to power, will take care of all their needs.
"This is my country, these hills are my country, the wheat fields in Uttar Pradesh are my country. Tamil Nadu is my country, Gujarat is my country, north east is my country..But all that BJP has done in last five years, is just to divide the nation," Priyanka said.
"In the five years, Modi has divided the country. He takes care of the rich and the mighty but ignores the needs of the huge farmer community in the country.
"Five years ago, a government came to power that was voted with majority. The people of our country, with all their wisdom, rested their faith upon them. But from the moment it came to power, it began to betray the faith of the people," she alleged.
"They promised farmers that they will double their income. They promised youngsters that two crore jobs will be created. But once they came to power, they forgot who gave them the power," she added.
"For Rahul Gandhi, justice and truth matters," she said in Mananthavady, where she arrived in a helicopter after landing at Kannur airport.
Alleging that they (BJP) began to believe that power belonged to them and not with the people, the Congress leader said the first indication to that belief was when its President said the promise of Rs 15 lakh was for the sake of election.
"He said it was a Jumla (gimmick)," Priyanka claimed.
Priyanka Gandhi, who is in the constituency to campaign for her brother Rahul Gandhi, said he believes "with all his heart" in democracy and freedom of expression in language and culture.
She also gave an emotional speech about her brother, their life, the death of their grandmother and former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, their father Rajiv Gandhi, Rahul's education, nature and many more.
She later met the family members of CRPF trooper Vasanth Kumar who was killed in the February 14 Pulwama terror attack.
From there, Priyanka Gandhi went to Pulpally where a mammoth gathering was waiting for hours to see her.
"The Modi government has dashed the hopes of the farmers and has taken on the people who fought for their rights. The Congress will empower all of you and will never create any difficulty for you all," she said at her public meet there.
After winding up her day, she will rest at a resort at Vythiri near here, and will leave Kerala on Sunday.
This is Priyanka Gandhi's second visit to Wayanad. On April 4, she accompanied Rahul Gandhi when he filed his nomination papers.
Union Minister Smriti Irani, who is contesting against Rahul Gandhi in Amethi, was also supposed to reach Wayanad on Saturday to campaign for NDA constituent Bharat Dharma Jana Sena Chairman and Wayanad candidate Tushar Vellapally but her trip was postponed for Sunday.
Apart from Vellapally, Rahul Gandhi is also facing P.P. Suneer of the Communist Party of India, who is the candidate of the ruling Left Democratic Front. State CPI-M Secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishnan, also campaigned here on Saturday.
The state will vote on April 23 to elect its 20 Lok Sabha members.