Former Congress president Rahul Gandhi, in the course of a day-long visit to Raipur, launched a financial assistance scheme for landless labourers named after his father — ‘Rajiv Gandhi Gramin Bhoomihin Krishi Majdoor Nyay Yojana’ (RGGBKMNY).
During his address at Raipur, Mr. Gandhi reiterated his statement in the Lok Sabha on Wednesday attacking the BJP for dividing the country into “two Indias” — one for the rich capitalist friends of the Government and another for the majority who are struggling for their basic needs.
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He also laid the foundation stone for a memorial with an eternal flame, named ‘Chhattisgarh Amar Jawan Jyoti’, which has been designed to resemble Delhi’s India Gate and the Amar Jawan Jyoti.
The entire city was decorated for Mr Gandhi’s visit. The party went all out organising music and dance programmes all along the road from the airport leading to the venue of the public meeting.
His visit assumes importance because of a six-month long feud between Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel and Health Minister T.S. Singh Deo. Mr. Deo, cited the formula of rotational tenure which he claimed was agreed upon in 2018, when the Congress won the State after a gap of 15 years.
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Mr. Baghel’s camp sees Mr. Gandhi’s visit as rejection of this formula. Mr. Gandhi, on his part, gave no such indication. Papering over the differences that had spilled out in the open, Mr. Deo referred to Mr. Baghel as his “captain”.
Mr. Gandhi said that although the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) want the rule of only one ideology in the country, it can never happen. These internal divisions created by the BJP have left India weak, giving a walkover to China.
Apart from launching the scheme named ‘Rajiv Gandhi Gramin Bhoomihin Krishi Majdoor Nyay Yojana’ (RGGBKMNY), Mr. Gandhi laid the foundation stone for a memorial with an eternal flame, named ‘Chhattisgarh Amar Jawan Jyoti’, to be built in Mana Camp area here for soldiers and security personnel martyred in the line of duty. He also laid the foundation stone of ‘Gandhi Sevagram’ ashram to be built in Nava Raipur.
Under the RGGBKMNY, registered labourers in rural areas who do not possess agricultural land will be given financial assistance of ₹6,000 per year in three installments.