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A meeting of the Congress Working Committee has decided to step up the offensive against the Narendra Modi government. The party has decided to raise four issues against the Centre — the Rafale scam, the NRC process in Assam, the escape of controversial businessman Mehul Choksi from the country and economic issues such as unemployment and farmers’ distress, among the public.
Talking to presspersons after a recent meeting, AICC General Secretary, Ashok Gehlot, said the CWC also discussed the challenges before the party in the run-up to the 2019 elections. Explaining the decisions, the party’s media in-charge Randeep Singh Surjewala said the Congress reaffirms its commitment to the ‘Assam Accord’ as a principal framework and supports the NRC Process.
“We are also aware that there are multiple anomalies in the Final Draft NRC List, leaving out 40 lakh persons comprising indigenous Assamese people, Hindu Bengalis, Nepalis, Gorkhas, Tea Tribes, religious minorities, Indian citizens from other states domiciled in Assam, as also serving and retired defence personnel and those who are in other public or private sector services,” he said.
Surjewala said the CWC expressed shock and concern on the ‘Rafale scam’. “Stark truth is that while the Congress-UPA was purchasing Rafale aircraft for ₹526 crore, Modi government proceeded to buy the same aircraft for ₹1,670 crore, i.e. a jump of over 300 per cent (purchase price of 36 Aircrafts being Euro 7.5 billion). This is a clear-cut case of an extra amount of ₹ 41,205 crore being paid from the State exchequer, for which there is no justification,” Surjewala said.
On Choksi, he said the Modi government was playing the ‘clean chit’ game with ‘bank fraudsters’, despite having adequate notice and knowledge of the various acts of omission and commission, as also bank frauds by Nirav Modi and Mehul Choksi.
Surjewala added that the CWC expressed anguish at the failing state of the economy and “tax terrorism”. “Congress President Rahul Gandhi and CWC expressed deep concern on the state of joblessness. CWC noted that the Modi-made disaster of demonetisation, as also an ill-implemented GST has led to severe job losses. So much so that government is shying away from releasing the Labour Bureau Survey figures for December, 2017.
As the Prime Minister’s promise of creating two crore jobs a year fails, it is regrettable that he exhorts the youth to sell ‘pakoras’ and ‘pans’ instead of creating real jobs,” he added.
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