Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday reiterated his poll promise that every poor person in India would be guaranteed minimum income akin to the employment guaranteed under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA).
“We have taken a historic decision. People have been benefited by MGNREGA. But the decision which we are taking now is bigger than the MGNREGA. The Congress party has been working on minimum income for all the poor for five to six months,” said Mr. Gandhi addressing a public meeting at the western Odisha town.
“Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he would give ₹17 per day to a farmer’s family. The Congress will guarantee payment of a minimum income to every poor person in India. This income will be directly transferred to their bank accounts,” he said, adding that the minimum income guarantee would be similar to that of the employment guarantee in the MGNREGA.
“If Narendra Modi could write off loans amounting to ₹3,50,000 crore of 15 industrialists, the Congress will make sure that the minimum income would be credited into the account of every poor person. We will protect every poor family. If you have the courage, then stop us from doing so, and the whole of India will rise against you,” the Congress president dared the ruling party amidst huge applause.
“The time for joke and deceit is over. The time for a minimum income has just begun,” he said.
Mr. Gandhi accused both Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik and Prime Minister Narendra Modi of “gifting” corruption. If it’s chit-fund scam for Mr. Patnaik, it was Rafale deal for Mr. Modi, Mr. Gandhi alleged. “Money looted from the poor through demonetisation was given to Vijay Mallya and Nirav Modi. Anil Ambani was given ₹30,000 crore,” Mr. Gandhi alleged while assuring that when the Congress comes to power, the looted money would be given back to the poor.
The Congress president reiterated his poll promises of crop loan waiver and revision of minimum support price (MSP) to ₹2,600 per quintal of paddy to woo voters in western Odisha.
Mr. Gandhi assured that the land of the poor and the tribals would not be acquired without consulting them. The land, if acquired, would be returned back to them in the event of non-establishment of factories within five years, he added.
“We made it happen. The Chhattisgarh government returned the land which was acquired for the TATA Group’s project to the tribals as no project came up in five years,” he pointed out.
Mr. Gandhi also brought up the episode of Dana Majhi, a tribal man who walked 12 km carrying his wife’s body, and accused Mr. Patnaik of keeping mum and not apologising about the incident.
Mr. Gandhi also reiterated his support to primitive Dongria Kandh tribals who were protesting against the proposed bauxite extraction from Niyamgiri Hill.
In 2008, the Congress president had held a rally in Kalahandi’s Lanjigarh, where the alumina refinery of the Vedanta Group is located. Dongria Kandhs, a primitive tribe, were opposing the proposal of extraction of bauxite from the Niyamgiri Hill for its refinery. He had then said that there was a soldier in Delhi named Rahul Gandhi for the tribals of Kalahandi.
Congress workers from western and southern Odisha district attended the public meeting. Later in the day, Mr. Gandhi will address another meeting at Rourkela.
Bhakta Charan Das, president of campaign committee of Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee and three-time MP of Kalahandi, is likely to contest from the Kalahandi parliamentary constituency.
