Rahul Gandhi unveils Congress' plan of scrapping Agniveer scheme
During his address in Bhagalpur, Rahul Gandhi forecasts BJP's limited electoral success, while outlining Congress' plans including scrapping the Agniveer scheme, farmer support measures, GST reform, and job guarantees for graduates.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said on Saturday that the arch-rival BJP won't even win 150 seats as against their 400-plus seat claim in the Lok Sabha election 2024. The statement by the Congress leader came during his address in Bihar's Bhagalpur.
Addressing the occasion, Rahul Gandhi took a sharp dig at the BJP-led NDA alliance. He said, "These BJP people have kept saying that they will secure this many or that many seats. Let me make it clear: they (the BJP) won't get more than 150 seats. Not even a single seat is more than 150."
In his poll-bound address, the Congress leader claimed significant changes to the current policies would be made if the INDI alliance government came into power. Significantly speaking, Gandhi announced the curtailing of the Agniveer scheme launched by the BJP government.
He said that India does not need two types of martyrs.
"As soon as the Indian alliance government comes, we will end the Agniveer scheme. India does not need two types of martyrs. Everyone should get a pension," Gandhi added.
Apart from this, Rahul Gandhi in Bhagalpur emphasised the initiatives the Congress party would be taking for the farmers. Gandhi promised that Congress is going to provide a guaranteed minimum support price to the farmers of India, and the INDI Alliance government would implement a minimum tax and waive off farmers' debts.
"We are giving two guarantees to the farmers. The Congress party is going to waive off the farmers' debts, and secondly, we are going to provide a guaranteed minimum support price to the farmers of India," Gandhi said.
"We will change GST. There will be one tax, the minimum tax. We will double the salary of Asha and Anganwadi workers," Gandhi added.
Meanwhile, among other promises, the Congress leader said that his government would provide all graduates and diploma holders in India with the right to an apprenticeship.
"All the graduates and diploma holders of India, we are going to give them a right—the right to an apprenticeship." The right to an apprenticeship means that our next government is going to give every youth in India the right to a first job. Everyone will get an apprenticeship for one year with a salary. They will receive training, and if they perform well in the first year, they will get a permanent job. These apprenticeship jobs will be available in public units, in the private sector, and in the government sector," he said.
It is pertinent to note that both the BJP and Congress have been taking sharp digs at each other amid the Lok Sabha polls in 2024. Earlier, addressing a rally in Maharashtra's Nanded, PM Modi took a jibe at Rahul Gandhi. The PM said, "Congress ke shehzade unhe bhi Wayanad mein sankat dikh raha hai. Shehzade aur unki toli April 26 ko Wayanad mein voting ka intezaar kar rahe hain. Jaise Amethi se bhagna pada, aap maan ke chaliye wo Wayanad bhi chodenge."
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