PM provided 'maximum income guarantee' to his 15 friends: Rahul
Kochi, Jan 29: A day after announcing his party would ensure "minimum income guarantee" for the poor if Congress was voted to power at the Centre, party chief Rahul Gandhi Tuesday took a dig at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying he has provided 'maximum income guarantee' to 15 of his friends.
"For the last five years, he has provided a maximum income guarantee to 15 of his friends. We have decided that if Narendra Modi can give maximum income guarantee to 15 rich people, we will give minimum income guarantee to every single citizen," Gandhi said.
Like MGNREGA committed right to work, like RTI committed right to information, like Food Security Bill guarantees the right to food, the Congress government is going to guarantee a minimum income to every poor Indian citizen, he told a booth-level party workers meeting here.
Attacking the policies of the Modi government,he alleged that the prime minister had done nothing for the farmers and assured that a congress government would ensure their welfare.
"We have waived off farm loans in the three states where we won elections(Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh).
We have committed that in 2019, we will have a government that will make up for all the crimes that Narendra Modi has done against farmers in five years," he said.
The Congress President said the Women's Bill would be passed on a priority if the party was voted to power in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.
"The first thing we will do when we win the 2019 election is to pass the Women's Reservation Bill in the Parliament," he said.
He was responding to a suggestion from a party worker on the need for more women candidates.
"We want to see women in position of leadership," he added.
The bill seeking to reserve 33 per cent of seats in Parliament and legislature has been pending for a long time in view of lack of consensus.
Refraining from directly commenting on the sensitive Sabarimala temple issue, wherein the Supreme Court had permitted entry of women of all age groups into the Lord Ayyappa temple, he merely said the party respects the traditions of Kerala.
"Congress party respects women of Kerala and at the same time respects the traditions of Kerala.
We do not agree with the violence carried out by the BJP and CPI(M) in the state," he said.
The 69 day annual pilgrimage season in Sabarimala, which ended on January 20, had witnessed widespread protests from devotees and right wing groups.
This was over the CPI(M)-led LDF government's decision to implement the September 28 Apex Court verdict, allowing women of all ages to enter the shrine.
The Congress President referred to Kerala as not just a state, but an 'idea'.
"It is a way of looking at the world that includes compassion, humility, respect. People of Kerala are helping guide the people of India," he said.
"Don't think less of yourself. RSS has cadres, CPI(M) has cadres, but India lives in the hearts of Congress workers', he told the gathering.
Gandhi alleged that the CPI(M) and BJP work on 'dividing' the people of Kerala and said the real issue of jobs and protection of farmers was put on the back burner.
He also flayed the implementation of the Goods and Services Tax.
Gandhi told the Congress workers that the party had launched a 'shakti' programme in which all workers could directly talk to the leadership.
"Want every single Congress worker to feel 'Ente booth, ente abhimaan, ente party' ("My booth, my pride, my party").
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UP: Fake IAS officer marries woman, flees with Rs 15 lakh dowry
Gorakhpur (UP) (PTI): A newly married man fled with the Rs 15 lakh given to him as dowry by the bride's family, and it came to light later that he was an alleged serial scammer, police said on Sunday.
The accused, identified as Pritam Kumar Nishad from Etawah, allegedly posed as an IAS officer to deceive the woman into marrying him. He is currently absconding with his sister, and a case has been filed against him for cheating, dowry harassment, and forgery, officials said.
According to the police, the woman's family claimed that they spent nearly Rs 30 lakh for the wedding that was solemnised on March 11.
The match was arranged through a matrimonial group, where the accused introduced himself as an IAS officer, sharing purported interview clips, office visuals, and photographs with politicians to gain the family's trust.
Despite initially claiming he would marry without dowry, the accused allegedly demanded Rs 15 lakh shortly before the engagement. The bride's family paid Rs 10 lakh in cash during the engagement and the remaining Rs 5 lakh on the wedding day, the police said.
The fraud came to light on Saturday after the woman reached Etawah, and a wedding attendee informed the family that the accused was not a civil servant. When her relatives visited the address provided by him, they found her in a small rented room, while the accused and his sister had fled, the police added.
The woman has also alleged that the accused planned to take her to Goa and sell her, and accused him of inappropriate behaviour.
The police suspect that the accused may have been involved in multiple such marriages in the past. Based on a complaint lodged at the cantonment police station, an FIR was registered on Saturday evening.
Senior Superintendent of Police Dr Kaustubh said efforts are underway to arrest the accused.
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