'Bhrasht Janata Party': Rahul slams BJP's double engine govts in various states
New Delhi (PTI): Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Friday dubbed the BJP 'Bhrast Janata Party' and claimed that its double-engine governments in various states have ruined the lives of the people through corruption, abuse of power and the poison of arrogance.
Gandhi cited the murder of Ankita Bhandari in Uttarakhand, the Unnao rape case in Uttar Pradesh, deaths from drinking contaminated water in Indore, among others, to attack the BJP.
“Across the country, the ‘Bhrasht’ Janata Party's double-engine governments have ruined the lives of the people. Corruption, abuse of power, and the poison of arrogance have spread throughout the BJP's politics, from top to bottom,” the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha said in a post in Hindi.
ALSO READ: Death toll rises to 8 in Belagavi sugar factory explosion
In their system, the lives of the poor, the helpless, labourers, and the middle class are merely statistics, and a system of extortion is operating in the name of "development", Gandhi alleged.
"The brutal murder of Ankita Bhandari in Uttarakhand shook the entire nation but the question remains: which BJP VIP is being protected by those in power? When will the law be equal for all?" he said.
In the Unnao case in Uttar Pradesh, the entire country witnessed how criminals were protected due to the arrogance of power, and how much the victim had to pay for justice, Gandhi said.
Whether it's deaths from drinking contaminated water in Indore or complaints of contaminated water and polluted supply from Gujarat, Haryana, and Delhi - the fear of disease is everywhere, he claimed.
"From the Aravalli range in Rajasthan to other natural resources - wherever the greed and self-interest of billionaires have reached, rules have been trampled upon. Mountains are being cut down, forests are being destroyed and the public is getting in return: dust, pollution, and disaster," Gandhi said.
Deaths of children from cough syrup, rats killing newborns in government hospitals, collapsing roofs of government schools - this is not "negligence," but a direct consequence of corruption, he further alleged.
"Bridges collapse, roads cave in, families are wiped out in train accidents, and the BJP government does the same thing every time: photo opportunities, tweets, and the formality of compensation," Gandhi said.
"Modi ji's 'double engine' is running' but only for the billionaires. For the common Indian, this double-engine government of corruption is not a speed of development, but a speed of destruction - crushing someone's life every single day," the former Congress chief charged, using the hashtag ''Bhrasht Janata Party'.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Unemployed class 10 passouts in Bengal to get Rs 1,500 allowance from March 7: Mamata
Kolkata (PTI): Ahead of the assembly polls, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said that from Saturday unemployed young job seekers, having passed secondary examination (class 10), will receive Rs 1,500 allowance every month to help them move towards a self-reliant future.
The TMC supremo made this announcement - on the eve of International Women’s Day on March 8 - during her speech at the sit-in against large-scale deletion of names of voters by the Election Commission during Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral roll exercise.
She said young men and women - aged 21–40 years - who have passed the secondary exams - will receive Rs 1,500 per month from March 7. Bannerjee said while the assistance was originally scheduled to begin in April, it will now start immediately.
"In the case of Yuva Sathi, all those who are still studying and are not beneficiaries of any schemes other than scholarships will receive the amount. We had earlier stated that the money would be given on April 1. But since tomorrow is International Women's Day, as a gift, we have changed the payment date from April 1 to today (March 7)," she said.
All those aged between 21 and 40 years, numbering around 1 crore people, have applied for this scheme, she said, pointing out these are people who are not beneficiaries of any other schemes except scholarships.
Claiming that her government has generated employment opportunities to a great extent, Banerjee said, "The unemployment rate in Bengal has decreased by 40 per cent. We have provided skill training to at least 40 lakh people, out of which around 10 lakh are already employed.
"This has also happened because we have linked the websites of industrialists with those who have received skill training through Utkarsha Bangla. If migrant workers are interested, they will also be given opportunities. Recently, I heard that around 10,000 people are being trained in the jute industry, and they will also be absorbed into jobs," she said.
The CM said the state is giving Rs 10,000 to farmers every month.
"Even those with just one cottah of land used to receive Rs 4,000 earlier. Now we have also announced Rs 4,000 for landless farmers," she said.
Banerjee said in Bengal, six economic corridors are being constructed to connect the entire state.
"Apart from that, two power plants of 1,600 megawatts (800 megawatts each) are being built in Salboni. We are also number one in IT. More people are employed here than in Bengaluru. Around 200 new companies have also come here.
"Those who defame the state should know that we are number one in small and medium-scale industries. Around 1.5 crore people work in small-scale industries. Units from across the country have come here. In Bengal's leather hub in Bantala, at least 7.5 lakh people work there. Our self-help group women are doing really well. We have created around 12 lakh self-help groups," she said.
Banerjee said around one lakh people will be employed in the large coal reserve in Deucha Pachami in Birbhum district and for the next 100 years, there will be no power cuts in the state.
Bengal's GSDP is the highest even after "repaying Rs 6 lakh crore of debt and paying interest on it and despite Rs 2 lakh crore of central funds still pending," the CM said.
"From GSDP to revenue generation, we are the highest," she claimed.
