Bastar, April 13: Senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi today said that the Lok Sabha elections 2024 are for saving the constitution and democracy in the country which were under continuous attack from the BJP and the RSS.
He announced that the Congress/INDIA government will remove poverty from India with a single stroke by providing Rs one lakh every year to every poor family across the country.
Addressing a public rally here today, Gandhi said that the real issues in these elections were widespread unemployment and rising prices which the media did not talk about. “Berozgari, menghai aur bhagidaari” (unemployment, rising prices and representation) were the main issues facing the country, which the media was not talking about, but the Congress had taken up.
The former Congress president alleged that Prime Minister Modi was working only for a few billionaires and was handing over everything to them. He pointed out, there was so much discrimination in the wealth distribution in the country that 22 people owned as much of wealth as 70 crore other Indians.
He said the Prime Minister does not bother about unemployment or rising prices, as he was preoccupied with helping and benefitting his few crony capitalists.
About Adivasis, who were present at the rally in large numbers, Gandhi said, the BJP’s mindset was against them (the Adivasi) while pointing out how a BJP leader urinated on the face of an Adivasi and circulated the video across the country in an apparent message to everyone as how they (the BJP) treated the Adivasis.
He pointed out how President of India Ms Draupadi Murmu was not allowed to visit the Ram Temple because she was an Adivasi.
Gandhi accused the BJP of attacking the religion and the culture of the ‘Adivasis’ besides snatching away their land, forests and water and giving it to the big billionaires like Adani.
Gandhi listed the ‘Panch Nyay’, five things, with 25 guarantees that the Congress/INDIA government will be doing for the country.
He pointed out, since unemployment was the most important issue, thirty lakh vacancies pending in various government departments will be filled immediately. He said, there will be no contractual appointments and all jobs will be permanent.
Like the Congress had brought MGNREGA, it will now bring the Right to Apprenticeship Act. This, he said, will guarantee a one-year job for all the graduates and diploma holders in the first year after completing their degrees/diplomas.
He said apprenticeships will be provided in the Public Sector, Private Sector and the government departments. The youth will get Rs one lakh for the first year. He pointed out, this means every educated youth in India, who has completed his degree or diploma will immediately get a guaranteed job in the first year.
Asserting that the Congress/INDIA government will remove poverty from India with a single stroke, Gandhi announced that one woman in every poor family across the country will get Rs one lakh every year. He said, one woman each from the poor families will receive Rs 8500 every month in their bank accounts.
Besides, he added, women will get 50 percent reservation in government jobs and the monthly remuneration of the Asha and Anganwadi workers will be doubled.
For farmers, he announced that there will be a legal guarantee for the MSP of crops. He also said, the Congress government will waive off their loans the way Narendra Modi waived off Rs 16 lakh crores of loan of a few billionaires. He said if Modi can waive off billionaires” loans, Congress party can also waive off farmers” loans.
Gandhi disclosed that the 90 percent of the country”s population, consisting of Backwards, Dalits, Adivasis, Minorities and the poor from general castes, had just 6.1 percent decision making powers, which needed to be corrected.
To address the discrimination prevailing in distribution of resources and power in the country in all sectors, whether the government or the private sector, he said, the Congress/INDIA government will carry out the caste census. Caste census, he said, will be the first step in that direction.