In Himachal, Rahul Gandhi says the Lok Sabha election is a fight to save the country’s democracy

Congress leader claims BJP-led Union government is yet release ₹9,000 crore in relief funding to Himachal after monsoon rains ravaged the State last year; says PM is only serving the interests of the 25 richest people in India.

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi. File. | Photo Credit: ANI

With less than a week left for the last phase of the parliamentary election, the campaign has hit top gear in Himachal Pradesh as key leaders have been making a beeline to the hill State.

On May 26, former Congress president Rahul Gandhi said that, in the ongoing general election, the fight was not just about electing a Member of Parliament or forming a government, but rather, a struggle to save the country’s democracy.

Claiming that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) was attacking the roots of Indian democracy, he declared that the people now had the opportunity to elect a government that would stand firm in protecting the Constitution and strengthening democracy. “Your every vote for the Congress candidates will further strengthen the foundation of the Constitution,” he said, at Nahan in the Sirmaur district.

Mr. Gandhi accused the BJP-led Union government of not helping the people of Himachal Pradesh when a relentless monsoon brought the hill State to its knees last year, causing extensive damage to life and property. Though the rains had affected over 22,000 families, the Union government had yet to release ₹9,000 crore worth of relief funds to the State, he said.

‘BJP focus on rich’

He also accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of serving the interests of 20 to 25 wealthy individuals in the country with a focus on making them millionaires. “₹16 lakh crore in loans for these individuals have been waived off over the past decade, while farmers’ loans remain unpaid,” Mr. Gandhi alleged.

The Congress leader said that the BJP government had devastated scores of small businesses through demonetisation and the mismanagement of GST implementation. The dreams of a select few are being fulfilled while the rest of the country looks on, he said.

Mr. Gandhi promised that if the Congress came to power, it would transfer ₹1 lakh annually to the accounts of impoverished women, ensure a legal guarantee of minimum support prices for farmers, create 30 lakh government sector jobs, and increase the daily wage of MGNREGA workers to ₹400. “The party pledges to waive farmer loans, and double the income of Anganwadi and Asha workers upon assuming power,” he added.