All India Congress Committee (AICC) vice-president Rahul Gandhi on Friday claimed that the BJP might have power of money as it was ruling at the Centre as well as most of the Indian States, but six core Gujaratis were with the Congress and they would ensure his party’s victory in the upcoming Assembly polls in the State slated on December 9 and 14 this year.
The scion of Gandhi-Nehru family was addressing a public rally of small businessmen and traders at Patidar dominated Varachha area of diamond city Surat. Ahead of his speech, he wore Patidar cap, which became famous after Hardik Patel led pro-quota outfit Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti’s (PAAS) agitation for reservation to Patel community in Government jobs and educational intuitions under OBC category.
Rahul also shouted slogans – ‘Jay Sardar, Jay Patidar’ and ‘Jay Bhavani, BJP Javani’ (BJP will go) along with the audience, mostly from Patidar community at Jal Kranti Ground. He struck the chord with the people saying that demonetisation and GST have proven to be double whammy for the small businessmen and traders working in diamond and textile sectors of Surat.
He went on to say that if Congress would be voted to power in centre, it would change GST in favour of small and medium enterprises. He reiterated that there had to be no tax other than GST and the tax slab shouldn’t exceed 18 per cent limit. Congress raised the point at the time of implementation of GST, but Modi government at Centre didn’t listen Congress party, he added.
‘‘On November 8th the Central government want to celebrate one year of demonetisation. I don’t know for what they want to celebrate. Have you seen any person wearing suit standing in queue after demonetisationIJ It only helped 15-20 industrialists while others suffered,’’ he said, adding that he would like to come at Surat on November 8 to listen difficulties of small traders of the city.
Meanwhile earlier on the day while interacting with the farmers near the South Gujarat town Valsad he said that Congress would change land acquisition law in the state if the party voted to power in the assembly polls 2017. The Congress vice-president who is touring South Gujarat as part of the Navsarjan Gujarat Yatra’s third leg went on to say that the huge corruption was being done under the BJP ruled Gujarat government in the name of land acquisition from farmers.
He met those farmers who lost their agriculture land or received notice for land acquisition. According to him, the farmers were not happy with the government’s policy to acquire land without consent for Vapi-Vadodara Express way, Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor (DMIC), Vapi-Vadodara Express way, and Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s dream project Mumbai-Ahmadabad bullet train.