If elected, Congress to bring one tax, remove GST: Rahul
Bidar (Karnataka), Aug 13 : Again dubbing the Goods and Services Tax (GST) as the Gabbar Singh tax, Congress President Rahul Gandhi on Monday said his party, if elected, would introduce one tax and remove the new indirect tax regime with five slabs.
"As soon as the Congress returns to power at the Centre in the next general elections, we will bring a single tax and remove the 'Gabbar Singh Tax' with five slabs," asserted Gandhi at a huge party rally here in Karnataka.
Gandhi coined the GST after the famous Bollywood villain Gabbar Singh in the blockbuster "Sholay", which was shot near Ramanagara near Bengaluru.
Claiming that the Congress would form the next government at the Centre after the Lok Sabha polls, due by May 2019, Gandhi told the gathering that the party would listen to the people and fulfil their wishes.
"We will form and run a government that will do what the people want. We work for the benefit of farmers, youth, poor and small businesses," Gandhi said at the party's Janadhwani (voice of people) rally at Nehru ground in the state's north-west town, about 690 km from Bengaluru.
Urging the people to reach out to the party cadres in the southern state for securing justice, Gandhi said it was the Congress which introduced Article 371J for educational and employment reservations to the natives of the Hyderabad-Karnataka region.
"The BJP said it was not possible to bring Article 371J but we brought and proved it wrong. It benefitted the local people in getting jobs and admission to medical and engineering colleges in the region.
Notified in November 2013 during the UPA tenure at the Centre, Article 371J of the Constitution is aimed at all-round development of the state's six northern districts, including Bidar.
Mocking Prime Minister Narendra Modi for allegedly failing to generate 2-crore jobs or deliver on promises he made four years ago, the party president said in contrast the Congress was doing its best in fulfilling the promises it made ahead of the May 12 state assembly polls and as an alliance partner in the Janata Dal-Secular (JD-S)-led coalition government in the southern state.
"We promised during the election to waive crop loans of farmers. We are doing whatever we have promised," noted Rahul.
"Modi waived loans of industrialists in crores but not a rupee of farm loan across the country. Yet he goes around talking about the farmers' welfare and claiming to be working for them," alleged Rahul.
Ridiculing Modi for saying a 'dhabawala' (food carriers) used technology to make fuel from the waste in the gutter, Gandhi lamented that the Prime Minister thinks even making snacks like 'pakodas' and carrying tiffin boxes are job creators for the youth.
Regretting Modi's 'silence' over atrocities on women and sexual assault on girls at home shelters in Bihar and Uttar Pradesh, Rahul said the former's call for 'beti bachao, beti padhao' (save a girl child and educate a girl) was hollow, as there is no let-up in violence against them.
Party's national secretary and its state in-charge K.C. Venugopal, party's leader of opposition in the Lok Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge, former Union minister Veerappa Moily and the party's state unit president Dinesh Gunde Rao were also present at the rally.
"I'm confident our party will win the Lok Sabha polls with a majority. The BJP came to power only through lies, but people are aware that all promises they made were only lies. In all sectors, the Modi government has failed," Rao tweeted.
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PM Modi speaks to Iranian president, discusses 'serious' situation in West Asia
New Delhi (PTI): Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday night spoke to Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian over the phone and discussed the "serious situation" in West Asia.
Modi expressed deep concern over the escalation of tensions in the region and the loss of civilian lives as well as damage to civilian infrastructure.
The prime minister told the Iranian President that the safety and security of Indian nationals, along with the need for unhindered transit of goods and energy, remain India's top priorities.
“Had a conversation with Iranian President, Dr Masoud Pezeshkian, to discuss the serious situation in the region. Expressed deep concern over the escalation of tensions and the loss of civilian lives as well as damage to civilian infrastructure,” Modi said in a post on X.
The prime minister also reiterated India's commitment to peace and stability and urged dialogue and diplomacy to end the crisis.
The prime minister had spoken to leaders of several West Asian countries in the last 10 days in the wake of the coordinated offensive launched against Iran by the United States and Israel, in which the Islamic country's Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, was killed last month.
In retaliation, Iran has fired drones and missiles at Israel and US military installations around the Gulf region, including the global business and aviation hubs of Dubai and Doha.
Modi earlier spoke to the leaders of Oman, Kuwait, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Jordan, Israel and Qatar, and expressed concern over the attacks on their countries, and condemned the violation of some nation’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.
He also discussed the welfare and security of the Indian community residing in those countries.
Around 1 crore Indians live in the Gulf and West Asia. While about 10,000 Indian citizens live, study and work in Iran, more than 40,000 live in Israel.
