lok-sabha-elections

Updated: May 16, 2019 17:27 IST

Accusing Prime Minister Narendra Modi of taking “fuel out of the engine of the country’s economy,” Congress president Rahul Gandhi Thursday said if voted to power, his party will refuel it through the proposed ‘Nyay’ scheme.

Addressing an election rally here, the Congress chief said that the experts he consulted before proposing the ‘Nyay’ scheme in the party manifesto had told him it was necessary for restoring the purchasing power of the people “hit by demonetisation and GST”.

The party’s proposed minimum income guarantee scheme, Nyuntan Aay Yojana (Nyay) assures up to Rs 72,000 a year or Rs 6,000 a month income to 20 per cent of India’s poorest families if it wins the Lok Sabha polls.

“Narendra Modi has taken the fuel out of the engine of the country’s economy. He puts in the key but it does not start the engine. Nyay scheme is the diesel for the engine of economy,” Gandhi said, adding it will provide jobs to lakhs of youth with the opening of factories and shops.

“We want to return what Narendra Modi has snatched from you all,” he told the gathering.

He claimed that all those having monthly income of less than Rs 12,000 will benefit from the scheme and the money will go directly in the bank accounts of the beneficiaries.

“Rs 72,000 will go in the bank accounts of five crore women as they spend wisely,” the Congress chief said.

Reiterating his charge that PM Modi “benefitted select industrialists and capitalist”, Gandhi alleged the money meant for insurance of farmers was given to the 15 to 20 industrialists.

On the promises made in Congress manifesto, he said farmers had suggested that they be told in advance how much funds will be allocated for them at the beginning of every financial year and the party has accepted it.

“Two budgets will be made. The one for farmers which will be presented in the Lok Sabha before the general budget,” Gandhi said, adding the Congress has decided that no farmer will be put in jail for not clearing debt after 2019.

(The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text, only the headline has been changed)