Mumbai Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Sunday criticized the policies of the ruling BJP and claimed that jobs have been lost in Maharashtra due to some big projects being shifted to Gujarat. Addressing a rally in Maharashtra’s Gadchiroli ahead of the state assembly elections on November 20, Priyanka alleged that leaders of the ruling Mahayuti alliance were trying to divert attention from real issues and polarize the society.
Taking a dig at the state’s Mahayuti government over its flagship scheme ‘Ladki Bahin’, Priyanka said women should vote for a better life and not because they are getting Rs 1,500 per month. The Congress leader also said that if the opposition alliance Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) comes to power, it will give Rs 7,000 per quintal MSP (minimum support price) to farmers for soybean crop.
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Priyanka claimed that more than 2.5 lakh posts are vacant in Maharashtra. He said that due to shifting of projects like Foxconn, Airbus to Gujarat, jobs have been lost in the state. The Congress General Secretary said, ‘People are trying, learning new skills, but still they are not able to get jobs. The government should have given priority attention to this, but it has failed to fill these posts. He also tried to link youth suicide in Maharashtra with lack of employment opportunities. Priyanka claimed, ‘Maharashtra has the highest number of youth committing suicide in the country. This is the result of BJP’s failure to remove unemployment.
Slogans raised by BJP leaders during the election campaign are one, they are safe, but Priyanka said that the word safe has two meanings – safe and treasure. He alleged, ‘But only Adani is truly safe in this country. The entire country knows that Adani is the only one who has access to the government treasury, while common citizens are struggling.
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The Congress leader claimed that Adani has control over airports, ports and some major companies and government policies are also in favor of one person. He said, the government should focus on employment generation instead of handing over national wealth to any one person. Priyanka also criticized the BJP for its alleged lack of accountability in governance. He said, during the Congress rule, our leaders were accountable to the people. However, this accountability has ended under BJP rule. Ministers, Chief Ministers and Prime Ministers are no longer accountable to the people. Priyanka said, ‘His behavior is different… He diverts attention from real issues and focuses on polarizing the society.’
The Congress general secretary also raised the issue of tribal land being allotted to Adani companies, especially in states like Chhattisgarh. He said, ask the people of Chhattisgarh how much tribal land has been given to Adani? Priyanka promised that if the MVA comes to power, it will focus on ensuring accountability, job creation and providing assistance to the people. He said, ‘The direction of politics has changed in the last 10 years. We will bring it back and connect it there, that is, with the people.
Referring to Rahul Gandhi’s Nyaya Yatra, Priyanka underlined the importance of conducting caste census and removing the limit of 50 percent reservation. Challenging Prime Minister Modi to conduct caste census and promising to remove the reservation limit, he said, Rahul says this every day, he travels across the country to explain this. And what does Modi ji say? He says that Rahul Gandhi is against reservation. Think about this.
Referring to the toppling of the MVA government in Maharashtra, Priyanka accused the BJP of weakening democracy. He said, you elected a government and Modi and his people removed it through bribery. A new government (grand alliance of Shiv Sena, BJP and NCP) was formed and today we came to know that Adani is a part of that government. Urging voters to focus on real issues, Priyanka asked, do you have water and electricity facilities? What is your income? Is unemployment decreasing? Is inflation decreasing? Are you making progress in your life? He reiterated the MVA’s promise to fill the vacant posts and provide unemployment allowance of Rs 4,000 per month to job seekers.
Priyanka said, ‘Congress established AIIMS, IIT, big dams and other establishments across the country. But today Maharashtra is being discriminated against because the big industries which were supposed to come here are being taken out of the state. He said that Airbus and big semi-conductor projects went to Gujarat. The Congress general secretary alleged that other big projects including Safran also moved out of Maharashtra. He claimed that overall projects worth Rs 10 lakh crore moved out of Maharashtra, eight lakh jobs were lost and more than 6,000 companies were closed.
Priyanka accused BJP leaders of pretending to preserve Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj’s legacy and referred to the collapse of Shivaji Maharaj’s statue in Sindhudurg district a few months ago. He said, they (BJP leaders) remember Shivaji Maharaj on the stage, but do not actually bother to pay respect to him.
