Back from a week-long foreign trip, Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi today stepped up his attack on the government for demonetisation, saying “BJP, RSS and Narendra Modi have weakened institutions like RBI”.
Addressing the Jan Vedna convention of the Congress, which began at the Talkatora Stadium here, Rahul claimed that the “decision to demonetise high-value currency notes was a personal decision of Prime Minister”.
Replying to what Rahul termed as a habit of the Bharatiya Janata Party and PM Narendra Modi of asking ‘what Congress did in the last 70 years’, he said, “We don’t need to explain what we did or didn't do for last 70 years. But we could never have done what BJP under PM Modi has done in the last two and a half years. Be it the RBI, the Election Commission or the judiciary, Modi and RSS have weakened them all”
Taking a jibe at Prime Minister’s ‘achhe din’ remark, Rahul said, “People of country are wondering when are 'acche din going to come'... ‘achhe din’ will come when Congress returns to power in 2019.”
Rahul further said that poor people, farmers, migrants workers are worst hit by the BJP's demonetisation move as they are forced to return to their native villages.
Advising the Prime Minister to spend time with the poor, farmers of the country, he said, “He (PM Modi) should ask them why suddenly people are running to villages?”
“Demonetisation is a well planned strategy of the government to hide its failure,” the Congress leader said as he referred to the government’s ‘drama’ of Swachh Bharat campaign, Make in India initiative and Skill India programme.
“Modi ji said he will clean India. Then he handed a broom in every hand. It was just fashion that went on for some days and then faded away,” Rahul said, adding that the Prime Minister kept jumping from one scheme to another.
“After the broom came Make In India, Connect India, Skill India, Stand Up India and then yoga,” Rahul said, adding that PM Modi did not follow up on the thinking behind the demonetisation move.
“He banned one high-denomination note and brought in a Rs 2,000 note. The thinking behind demonetisation has not been followed,” he said, adding that note ban had dealt a blow to the backbone of the Indian economy.
The day-long convention, which begun with the screening short films on former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, will focus on the party's future course of action in its protest against demonetisation.
The convention will reflect upon the sufferings of the people brought about by the demonetisation by the government and also its anti-people policies.
