Rahul addressed a public meeting in Karnataka’s Bellary, which was also attended by Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, Chhattisgarh CM Bhupesh Baghel, former Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah, Karnataka Congress chief DK Shivakumar, Congress Presidential candidate Mallikarjun Kharge, party general Secretaries RS Surjewala and KC Venugopal and others.
Flaying Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Lok Sabha MP from Kerala’s Wayanad said, “The Prime Minister had said that he would provide 2 crore jobs every year. Where are those 2 crore jobs? Why are 2.5 lakh posts in government jobs vacant? The policies of the PM, whether GST, demonetisation or what he did during COVID-19 pandemic, have resulted in the loss of 12.5 crore jobs.”
He also pointed out how soaring prices of LPG cylinders, petrol and diesel are adversely affecting common people. “People are in distress due to unemployment and price rise. Modi raised a hue and cry when one LPG cylinder cost Rs 400 during the Congress government. Why is he tight-lipped and not answering even though the price of one LPG is Rs 1,000 now?” he asked.
Lashing out at the BJP govt in Karnataka, he alleged, “The BJP dispensation in the state is called 40 per cent commission government because no work gets done without dishing out bribes. If you have to become a police sub-inspector then you can get it by paying Rs 80 lakh. If you have money then you can buy a government job. If you don’t have money then for your whole life you shall be unemployed. There are scams in cooperative banks. Whatever you want to get done, you need to pay a 40 per cent commission.”
Dubbing the BJP as anti-Scheduled Caste and Tribe (SC/ST) party, the Congress scion claimed during its regime the atrocities against the SC/ST have increased by 50 per cent.
“Rs 8,000 crore that were supposed to be for the development of SC/ST has been diverted. When we were in power, we constituted the Justice Nag Mohandas Committee. It recommended increasing SC reservation from 3 to 7 per cent and ST reservation from 15 to 27 per cent. Why is the BJP govt refusing to implement this? The BJP dispensation in Karnataka should stop making excuses and implement this at once,” he said.
Accusing the BJP government of ignoring development of the backward Kalyana Karnataka region, he said, “L K Advani, the then Home Minister in the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government, had rejected a proposal by the Karnataka government seeking amendment to the Article 371 (J) for the development of Kalyana Karnataka region. However, the Congress government amended the Article that helped many unemployed youths get jobs.”
Talking about ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra, Rahul said his objective is to bring people from different religions and castes together. “We feel that the poisonous ideology of BJP is dividing the country. This is an attack on the soul of India. The Congress wants to promote the spirit of unity and companionship among people.”
He also highlighted his family’s long association with Bellary. The Congress leader reminisced that his mother and Congress interim chief Sonia Gandhi had fought an election from Bellary and got enormous love of the people. Even his grandmother and former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi got elected from Chikamanglur.