A day after Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s 2-day visit to the poll bound Gujarat, All India Congress Committee (AICC) vice-president Rahul Gandhi kick-started 2nd phase of ‘Navsarjan Gujarat Yatra’ on Monday from Central Gujarat region and criticised BJP ruled Governments at Centre and the State over increasing unemployment and poor implementation of GST and demonetisation.
Taking a jibe at PM Modi’s Mann Ki Baat programme while addressing a small gathering at Khatraj village in Kheda district, the Congress vice-president said that the BJP doesn’t listen to people, but the Congress would like to listen people’s Mann Ki Baat. ‘‘This is the basic difference between the two parties. Modi Government didn’t listen anybody on Goods and Services Tax (GST) and on fine day imposed on traders with slab as high as 28 per cent,’’ said the scion of Gandhi-Nehru family, claiming that Congress too was in favour of GST, but with lesser tax burden on small traders and maximum tax slab of 18 per cent.
Congress party requested the Prime Minister to keep less paper work, but the BJP ruled NDA Government neither listen opposition party nor the business community, he said. Due to GST, small traders came under tremendous difficulties and it only led to increase unemployment, he added. Demonetisation too proved detrimental for small traders, farmers and people at large, he claimed.
Increasing unemployment is the biggest issue in the Country as every 24 hours 30,000 youngsters go to search for employment but Modi Government could provide jobs to hardly 450 of them, Rahul said. India is facing tough competition from China, he said, adding that the neighbouring country provides 50,000 jobs to youngsters in a day.
The 47-year-old political leader offered prayer at the historic Santaram temple at Nadiad, the headquarters of Kheda district and paid tribute at the birthplace of Sardar Patel. At Nadiad, he launched attack on BJP’s national president Amit Shah saying that Shah’s son Jay started business with mere Rs 50,000 around 10-12 years back, but didn’t do much till 2014, however after Modi Government came into power in 2014, suddenly the firm swelled to Rs 80 crore. ‘‘This is ‘Make-in-India’ and ‘Start-up India’,’’ he said satirically.
Targeting PM Modi over his remarks of Chowkidar (gatekeeper) of the nation and ‘‘Khata Nahi Hu, Aur Khane Nahi Dunga (Neither I do corruption nor allow others to do so) in context to the allegations on sudden growth of Jay Shah’s firm he said that where was the gatekeeper. In order to strike a chord with the people during his road journey Gandhi kept on taking snaps from his mobile phone. He even gave flying kiss to crowd at Nadiad.
Rahul who completed first phase of Navsarjan Gujarat Yatra in Saurashtra region from 29 September to 1 October, arrived at Ahmedabad airport on Monday morning from Delhi. He boarded a specially designed Navsarjan Yatra bus and started journey towards neighbouring Kheda district in Central Gujarat. Apart from Nadiad and other places in Kheda district, he also visited Anand district where he interacted with female representatives of Milk Cooperative societies Dedarda village. later in the evening he reached at Vadodara, the biggest city of central Gujarat region where he met traders, entrepreneurs and professionals.