The Congress party on Saturday said if voted to power apart from conducting a nationwide caste-based census across the country, it would take a financial and institutional survey to ascertain who owns the riches. “After both the surveys, we will take revolutionary measures to give the Dalits, Adivasis, backward classes and minorities their rightful share. This will change the face of the country,” Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has said.

He kicked off the party’s poll campaign in the South by launching the telugu version of the party’s manifesto (which was released in New Delhi on Friday) at a public meeting here. “The Dalits, Adivasis, BCs, and Minorities constitute over 90 per cent of the population of the country. But their share in administration and organisation is abysmal,” he said. Stating that 90 IAS officers run the country, he said those who constituted over 90 per cent of the population hardly had any say in the administration. “This needs to be changed. After the surveys, you will get your rightful due,” he said.

Alleging that the Narendra Modi Government was working for only 3-4 per cent of people, he said the Government had waived loans to the tune of ₹16 lakh crore to the rich. “But they have not waived a single rupee of farmers’ loans,” he said.

Biggest scam

Stating that the electoral bonds issue was the biggest scam in the world, he said the government was using the CBI and Enforcement Directorate to force companies to fund the BJP in form of bonds. “The ED has become the Extortion Directorate and the BJP is running the world’s biggest washing machine. The most corrupt men and ministers are with Modi,” he alleged.

“The government has blocked the bank accounts of the Congress. We are not afraid. We have defeated the B-Team (referring to the BRS) in Telangana in the Assembly elections. We are going to defeat the A-Team (the BJP) in the Lok Sabha elections,” he said.

“The BJP is pitting one religion against another. You (people of Telangana) opened the shops of love in the market of hatred. This will show the way to the country,” he said.

He related the key promises in the manifesto targeting the youth, women, and farmers. “We promise an annual income of ₹1 lakh to the youth through internships and a similar amount to poor women. Besides, we will enact a law to ensure minimum support price to farmers. The MSP will be based on the formula prescribed by the Prof. Swaminathan Commission,” he said.

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