Rahul Gandhi attacks Centre over unemployment
Hoshiarpur(PTI): Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Monday targeted Prime Minister Narendra Modi over unemployment, saying he does not talk about it and black money in his election speeches.
Addressing a poll rally here, Gandhi targeted the Narendra Modi-led government over demonetisation and goods and services tax, alleging that only two-three billionaires benefited from them.
Stating that his party's chief ministerial face Charanjit Singh Channi understands poverty, Gandhi said Channi will lead a government of poor people, farmers, small traders and small and medium businesses, not of 'arabpatis' (billionaires).
"We have Punjab elections before us. This is not an ordinary election. You have to elect a new government," said Gandhi.
"In the country today, in every state, unemployment is rising," Gandhi said.
At the time of demonetization, the Modi government had said it was a fight against black money, he said, adding that the money, however, was taken out of the pockets of small traders and farmers and given to two-three 'arabpatis'.
"Modi ji used to say in his address that he will transfer Rs 15 lakh in bank accounts," he said.
"He used to say 2 crore jobs will be given to the youth, said Gandhi and asked the gathering whether they got it.
"Why doesn't Narendra Modi not talk about employment and why doesn't he speak about black money nowadays," he asked.
Gandhi also took on the Arvind Kejriwal-led Aam Aadmi Party and said, "The AAP does not understand Punjab and cannot take care of the state. Only the Congress understands Punjab, and can take it forward."
Gandhi further said, "Our government is not of two or three billionaires. If our government was of two to three billionaires, then in Punjab, the Congress would not have stood against farm laws. Our government is pro-farmer that is why we stood with farmers.
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Congress using hijab issue to pacify minority anger, alleges Karnataka LoP R Ashoka
Bengaluru: Leader of Opposition in the Assembly R. Ashoka has accused the Congress government of using the hijab issue to placate what he described as discontent among minority voters after the Davanagere by-election.
In a post on X on Wednesday, Ashoka alleged that the state government, instead of addressing issues such as price rise, corruption, farmers’ distress and law and order, was attempting to retain its minority vote base by reviving the hijab issue.
Referring to the 2022 dress code introduced by the BJP government, which prohibited hijab in schools and colleges, Ashoka said the Karnataka High Court had upheld the policy and emphasised the importance of discipline in educational institutions.
He questioned the Congress government’s move to revisit the issue and asked whether setting aside the court-backed policy to benefit one community could be described as secularism.
Ashoka further alleged that while the government was willing to permit hijab, it continued to prohibit saffron shawls.
He accused the government of dividing students on religious lines rather than treating schools and colleges as spaces of equality.
Drawing a comparison with Mamata Banerjee’s government in West Bengal, Ashoka claimed that excessive appeasement politics had harmed the state and warned that the Congress in Karnataka could face a similar political response.
He said voters in Karnataka would teach the Congress a lesson for what he termed “vote-bank politics” and for compromising constitutional and judicial principles.
