We’ll make poor ‘lakhpatis’: Rahul Gandhi

HYDERABAD: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said that the Narendra Modi-led NDA government at the Centre worked for only 25 people in the country like Adanis-Ambanis and made them 'billionaires' in the last ten years but the Congress-led IN.D.I.A. bloc will make millions of poor people 'lakhpatis' in the next five years, if voted to power in the Lok Sabha elections.

Alleging that Prime Minister Modi had privatised several government firms in order to abolish reservations, he said, "These elections are very critical. Firstly, the BJP and RSS are openly saying that they want to change the Constitution and abolish reservations. But Congress wants to increase reservations beyond 50 per cent. If voted to power, we will take up caste census across the country like the Congress government’s caste survey in Telangana state."

He was addressing election meetings in Narsapur in Medak candidate Neelam Madhu Mudiran and Saroornagar for Hyderabad nominee Sameer Waliullah along with Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy on Friday. He expressed confidence that the Congress-led I.N.D.I.A bloc will come to power on June 4 and begin the process to fill 30 lakh government jobs from August 15.

Rahul Gandhi said that the I.N.D.I.A. government, if voted to power, will take up a revolutionary programme that people would not even have dreamt of. It will be the world’s first-of-its-kind programme, he said.

"A list of all the poor and downtrodden would be prepared by visiting the remotest places in the country. One woman from a family would be identified and in her bank account we will deposit `1 lakh annually. She will get `8,500 per month and towards meeting her children’s education, health and food expenditure, an additional `8,500 would be deposited in the women’s bank account on the first of every month.”

Going further, he said “With one stroke, we will eradicate poverty in the country. People will spend this amount to meet their daily needs. This would in turn pave the way for industrialisation as local companies will come up to produce goods and thereby generate jobs. In a way, the Indian economic system would be jump-started," he said.

He cautioned the people that if the Constitution was amended by the BJP, it would weaken their rights.

"This Constitution gave you voting, reservation and education rights apart from the right to speak and protest. That is real democracy. They want to weaken this democracy because they only want power. They only want their businessmen friends to thrive. They have sold the country’s assets to these ‘friends’," said the Congress leader.

Rahul Gandhi promised to implement a new scheme "First job pakki" for the unemployed youth.

"Under this, the Congress will give youth the right to the first job. If you are a diploma holder or graduate, the Congress party will give you a right to the first job in companies, public sector, private sector, government hospitals and offices. They will be given a year’s job and will be provided exclusive training and deposit `one lakh in their bank account in one year," he said.

Meanwhile, Rahul Gandhi praised the performance of the five-month old Congress government in Telangana.

"It is working like a team. It has already filled 30,000 jobs and is providing gas cylinders at Rs 500 each and 200 units free power supply; there is health insurance cover of Rs 10 lakh, while women can travel free of cost in RTC buses. Similar to what the Congress government in Telangana has been doing, the I.N.D.I.A. bloc will do it in the entire country, if voted to power," he said.