New Delhi | Jagran News Desk: Terming the National Population Register (NPR) and the National Register of Citizens (NRC) as a tax on the poor people of the country, Congress leader and former party chief Rahul Gandhi on Friday trained his guns at the BJP over the contentious regimes by the government. He also attacked the ruling party over the prevailing economic slowdown and unemployment.
Rahul Gandhi, after attending the opening of a National Tribal Dance Festival at Raipur, said, "Whether it is NRC and NPR, it is a tax on poor people of the country. Demonetisation was a tax on poor people of the country. This too is the same thing. Go to the officer...poor people will go...show your papers...give bribe if your name is slightly wrong. Crores of money will go from the poor people to the same 15 people."
"I am saying that it is an attack on poor people. Poor people are asking how will we get employment? The economy earlier used to grow at 9 per cent, now it has come down to 4 per cent, that too when it is being measured by the new method. By the old method, it will be 2.5 per cent," he added.
Lamenting about the state of the economy, Rahul said, "You know about the economy. Today, unemployment is highest in 45 years. That is not so in Chhattisgarh. Because we are helping farmers here, providing them the right prices. BJP and Narendra Modi government in the country are not able to explain why they blew the Indian economy to pieces," he said.
"Earlier the world used to say that India and China are growing at the same pace but now the world is seeing violence in India, women not feeling safe on the streets and rising unemployment," the Congress leader.
Hitting out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Rahul said, "But Narendra Modi is not able to explain that. Probably, he too doesn't understand what is happening, how did this happen. Earlier, he used to mock, now he is not able to do the job of Prime Minister." Rahul Gandhi also alleged that the country's time is being wasted and that money is being given to "the 15 richest people."
Meanwhile, Rahul’s sister and Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi also took a dig at Union Home Minister Amit Shah over his "understand the chronology" remark on the National Register of Citizens and Citizenship Amendment Act and said "youngistan will not budge".
Her sharp attack at Shah comes amid massive protests across the country against the Citizenship Amendment Act which Congress is also opposing, alleging that it is unconstitutional and discriminatory.
"Understand the chronology... First, they will promise you two crore jobs. Then they will form the government. Then they will destroy your universities. Then they will destroy the country's constitution. Then you will protest. Then they will call you a 'fool' but youngistan will not budge," she tweeted in Hindi.
Her attack came in the backdrop of Amit Shah’s old video which is doing rounds on the internet since the issue started. In the video, Home Minister Amit Shah can be seen saying that, “Aap chronology samajh lijiye (please understand the chronology). Pehle CAB ayega..fir NRC ayega.. aur sirf Bengal ke liya nahi…saare desh ke liye ayega (First CAB will come, then NRC. And not just Bengal but for the entire country),” he had said.
Posted By: Talib Khan