Rae Bareli, 13 May: Congress scion Rahul Gandhi claimed on Monday that his family has always worked for the people of Rae Bareli parliamentary seat, in contrast to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who works for Adani and Ambani.
Adressing his first election meeting in the constituency since being nominated, Gandhi stated that he is running for Lok Sabha from this seat since his family has strong ties to the people of Rae Bareli.
Hitting back at the Modi administration, he alleged that debts of Rs 16 lakh crore, equivalent to 24 years of money provided under the MGNREGA, had been waived for 22-25 top businessmen. Rahul Gandhi stated that his grandmother Indira Gandhi, father Rajiv Gandhi, and mother Sonia Gandhi had tried to better the lives of people in Rae Bareli.
The Rae Bareli seat, considered a Gandhi family stronghold, has been held by Sonia Gandhi since 2004. Former Prime Ministers Indira and Rajiv Gandhi formerly represented the seat. In his speech, Rahul Gandhi also criticized the media of ignoring the challenges faced by farmers and unemployed youth in favor of highlighting weddings in the families of prominent entrepreneurs.
He stated that if the INDIA bloc is elected, a list of destitute households would be identified, and Rs 1 lakh per year – or Rs 8,500 per month – will be given to the bank account of one woman from each such family.
Gandhi further stated that an INDIA bloc administration will waive small farmers’ loans and give them with a legalised minimum support price.
He reaffirmed that the Agniveer plan of short-term recruiting in the defense forces would be abolished, and young people would be given permanent posts in the armed services with pension guarantees. Gandhi stated that young people will be given a year of apprenticeship in public sector organizations before being offered permanent government positions based on merit. Rae Bareli will vote in the fifth round of the Lok Sabha election on May 20. Dinesh Pratap Singh, an Uttar Pradesh minister, has been fielded by the BJP for the seat.
