Former Congress president Rahul Gandhi today announced that once the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) government will be formed on June 4, it will waive off the loans of farmers. Besides, he said, they will also get legal guarantee for the MSP on their crops.
Addressing a mammoth public rally, which was attended by over fifty thousand people in the scorching heat here today, Gandhi batted for Congress candidate and PCC president Amarinder Singh Raja Warring telling people that he was going to be their long term asset and they must ensure his victory at all costs.
The former Congress president said that these elections were being fought to save and protect the constitution which was under threat from the BJP. He pointed out, for the first time in 70 years leaders of the BJP were openly saying that they will replace the constitution if they win.
He said, this constitution had been given by the leaders like Baba Saheb Ambedkar, Mahatma Gandhi, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru and others and it guaranteed the rights of people including the right of reservation. But, he assured, no power on earth can change or replace the constitution.
Gandhi accused Modi of dividing people and making them fight against each other in the name of religion, region, caste and state. He said, Modi wanted the rule of just 22-25 people in the country whom he was serving and to whom he had handed over all the assets including the ports, airports, infrastructure and power projects among other things.
The senior Congress leader announced that like Modi made just 22 billionaires, the Congress party will make crores of millionaires (lakhpatis). He said, there was an economic idea behind providing cash assistance to the poor and the youth as it will jumpstart the economy.
He said, immediately after the INDIA government takes over, poor families will be identified and each family will receive Rs 8500 every month. Similarly, for the fresh graduates and diploma holders there will be a scheme, ‘pehli naukri pakk’, under which they will get a guaranteed apprenticeship for one year with an assured income of Rs one lakh for that period.
He added, the minimum daily wages will be increased to Rs 400 per day from the current Rs 250 per day. He also announced that the Asha and Angawadi workers’ income will be doubled. Explaining the idea behind the direct cash assistance scheme, Gandhi said, while Modi gave lakhs of crores of rupees to few billionaires who spent all this money in places like the US, the UK, Germany or Dubai, the money that will go into the hands of the poor, the youth and the farmers will be spent locally, which will make the economy moving.
He said, this will create demand for goods which will lead to production and manufacturing by factories. This, he pointed out, will generate jobs and youth will get employment.He said, the INDIA government will open the doors of the banks for the medium and small industry which had been destroyed by Modi’s policies of demonetization and wrong implementation of the GST.
The senior Congress leader reiterated that the INDIA government will scrap the Agnipath scheme as it was an attack and insult on the jawans and the armed forces.Gandhi also expressed concern over the problem of drugs in Punjab, saying it needs to be dealt with firmly.
Among those present included KC Venugopal, Devinder Yadav, Harish Chaudhary, Raja Warring, Balkaur Singh Sidhu, Bharat Bhushan Ashu, Rakesh Pandey, Jassi Khangura Surinder Dawer, Kuldeep Vaid, Simarjit Bains, Balwinder Bains, Sanjay Talwar, Major Singh Mullanpur, Capt Sandeep Sandhu, and others.