We will put as much money in the hands of people as the Modi government has given to billionaires, says Rahul in Rajasthan

Unemployment and inflation are the two biggest issues but there is a conspiracy of silence in the media to hide the failures of the Narendra Modi government in solving issues of the people, former Congress chief Rahul Gandhi said at an election rally in Rajasthan on April 11.

Addressing a rally in Rajasthan’s Anupgarh in support of Govind Ram Meghwal from Bikaner and Kuldeep Indora from Ganganagar Lok Sabha seats, Mr. Gandhi said farmers are asking for a minimum support price (MSP) for their crops, youth are seeking employment, and women want relief from inflation but no one is listening.

“The amount of money that the Modi government has given to billionaires, we will give the same amount of money to the poor, the backward, Dalits and Adivasis,” Mr. Gandhi said, reiterating the promises made in the Congress manifesto that are based on “five pillars of justice and 25 guarantees”.

He said if the Congress comes to power, it will scrap the Agniveer scheme, abolish contractual jobs in government and offer offer permanent jobs.

The former Congress chief claimed that the Modi government waived off loans of 25-30 richest people worth ₹16 lakh crore that could have been spent on paying wages under Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) for 24 years. The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) at the Centre has taken money from big industrialists through electoral bonds, he claimed, adding that the upcoming election is a battle between the country’s poor people and 22-25 billionaires.

“Ask anyone. Unemployment is the biggest issue in the country. Inflation comes second. Ninety per cent of people will say inflation but if you follow the media, it will seem that the most important issue is Ambani’s [son’s] wedding,” Mr. Gandhi said, adding the media’s job is to raise the people’s voice but it never does as “billionaire owners” who control media houses will not allow journalists to speak up.

He asserted that the upcoming Lok Sabha election is about protecting the country’s Constitution and democracy. “This election belongs to the 90 per cent population -- the backward, Dalits, tribals and the poor. On one side is Adani and the big billionaires of India, the national media. All the money is in their hands. The accounts of the Congress have been closed. By mounting pressure through electoral bonds, the BJP has taken money from big industrialists. This is an election between the poor and 22-25 billionaires,” he said.

The Congress leader addressed another public rally in Jodhpur, where he not only echoed the same sentiments but added that his Lok Sabha membership was taken away after he raised the issue of the Adani Group’s relationship with the Prime Minister.