Bharat Jodo Yatra: Rahul targets PM Modi over demonetisation

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of unleashing an economic tsunami by carrying out demonetisation in November 2016Addressing a meeting in Nanded district of central Maharashtra on the 63rd day of his Bharat Jodo Yatra he also said that projects like Tata Airbus military aircraft venture and VendantaFoxconn semiconductor plant were taken away from the state and given to Gujarat because of the Assembly elections in the neighbouring stateThese projects will be given to twothree industrialists who are the prime ministers friends and the countrys wealth is accumulating in their hands Ports infrastructure telecom agriculture sectors have been given to these people Gandhi allegedReferring to his encounters with locals during the day he said a young boy told him about the lack of practical education in the country due to which there are no job opportunities while a little girl told him that her parents love her brother more than they love herGender discrimination is not good and a country which doesnt respect women doesnt progress The young boy understands what the top bureaucrats in the education ministry do not he saidBig industrial houses do not generate employment the Congress leader said adding that Public Sector Units and small businesses create jobs but these are being destroyed by the Union governmentAlso read Tiger is back says Uddhavled Sena faction as court grants bail to Sanjay RautThe Bharatiya Janata Party BJP is spreading violence hatred and fear in the country Gandhi said adding that the media which is concentrated in the hands of few industrialists too is spreading fear and hatredIn Parliament if you raise issues like China demonetisation your mic is switched off the Congress leader claimedThe youth of the country want to join the Army to serve the country but the Modi government has given them four years to serve the country he said referring to the Agnipath schemeChina has taken our land but the prime minister denies then why are negotiations taking place between the two armies the Congress leader askedEarlier while interacting with various delegations which met him in the afternoon Gandhi alleged that demonetisation withdrawal of the Rs 500 and Rs 1000 denomination notes six years ago was not only a mistake but also a part of the BJPs strategy to keep power and money in the pockets of a fewIt unleashed an economic tsunami and the country is still bearing its brunt he saidThe Goods and Services Tax was imposed on the country because the BJP wanted to finish off the MSME sector he claimedThis was the Congress leaders third day in Maharashtra His footmarch entered the state on Monday nightOn Wednesday he and his associates walked from Shankarnagar area in Biloli to Naigaon and proceeded to KrushnoorOn the way Gandhi interacted with Koli community leaders who came from Mumbai and discussed issues such as encroachments and Coastal Regulation Zone CRZ violationsHe also met members of cooperative societies and a delegation of unorganized sector workersHe also spoke about the NYAY scheme promised by the Congress before 2019 polls which guaranteed a minimum annual income of Rs 72000 for every poor familyCongress has always believed that cooperative system is an instrument of planned economic development and given the agriculture sector and cooperatives high priority in fiveyear plans he saidThe lack of support to the cooperatives from the government was a major reason for the sector being on the verge of collapse he saidGandhi and his associates walked for 24 km on Wednesday concluding the day at Vajirgaon PhataThe footmarch began on September 7 from Kanyakumari and will cover 3750 km to reach SrinagarThere is a difference between walking on the road and travelling in vehicles If you want to listen to people there is no use of travelling in vehicles the Congress leader saidFormer Union minister Shivraj Patil walked with Rahul Gandhi for some time during the dayFormer MPs Hussain Dalwai and Sanjay Nirupam also joined Gandhi during the YatraThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever