Congress leader Rahul Gandhi yesterday attacked the Bharatiya Janata Party government over “massive unemployment”, said the “Made in China” policy was killing jobs of Indian youth.
Addressing his maiden poll rally for the October 21 Maharashtra assembly elections in the parched and backward Marathwada region, Gansdhi said the county was witnessing the maximum employment in the past four decades.
“The government is talking about ‘Make In India’, but only Chinese industries have swamped India, which is killing jobs in this country. The worried youth have no hopes for the future,” Gandhi said.
On Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s meeting last weekend with Chinese President Xi Jinping, Gandhi said: “When they were having tea and snacks, did the PM ask him about the aggression in Doklam? No!”
On the economic situation, the Congress leader said the after demonetisation of November 2016 followed by Goods & Services Tax, the entire country’s economy was in shambles, ranging from automobiles to textiles and diamonds to small businesses with over 2,000 factories shutting down in Maharashtra alone, while “thieves” like Nirav Modi and Mehul Choksi have looted and fled the country.
Gandhi warned that the current economic status of the nation was “just the beginning” and predicted dire consequences in the coming six-seven months for the economy.
“You go anywhere in the country... People only talk about joblessness, farmland crises, the economy... Where are the promised ‘acchhe din’ (good days)? They have not come. After demonetisation, nobody knows how much black money was recovered, but only the poor, and honest masses suffered,” he said.
While farmers continue to suffer, he alleged that in the past few years, the government has cleared bad loans of around 15 top industrialists to the tune of Rs5.50 lakh crore.
Besides, the government also gave a “Diwali gift” of tax benefits to rich industrialists worth Rs1.45 lakh crore last month, but there were no similar concessions for the suffering farmers, and the government could not even provide Rs35,000 crore for the rural jobs guarantee scheme which is a boon for the rural poor, Gandhi said.
“In the past many years, the country has been built and prospered because of the contributions made by people from all castes and communities. But the present government is resorting to ‘divisive tactics’ which will not work and drag down the nation’s progress,” he said.
“However, instead of concentrating or debating on these burning issues, the government is busy showing people how the Indian Chandrayaan rocket was sent to the moon, Article 370 in Jammu & Kashmir, Pakistan, China, Japan, Korea, et al... But, remember, rockets will not help fill up the stomachs of the hungry millions,” Gandhi said.
He called for a return to the Congress “which lives in the soul of Maharashtra”, adding the party wouldn’t promise the moon, but make down-to-earth promises which it would sincerely fulfil for the peoples’ welfare in the state.
Meanwhile, the BJP yesterday released its manifesto for the October 21 Haryana assembly polls with no promises to waive farm debt or job reservations for women, saying it is more realistic and practical than Congress’ “populist” document.
The 25-page manifesto was released in the presence of BJP working president J P Nadda, Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar and senior party leaders in Chandigarh.
Focusing on farmers, labourers, youth and industrialists, the manifesto pledged to give an interest-free crop loan of up to Rs3 lakh to farmers.
For women empowerment, the BJP promised to provide free education to two girls from families whose total annual income is less than Rs1.8 lakh.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi is welcomed by Maharashtra Congress president Balasaheb Thorat and party leader Ashok Chavan as he arrives in Latur yesterday.
