Nitish Kumar’s exit notwithstanding, INDIA alliance intact, says Rahul Gandhi

Gumla (Jharkhand): Senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday announced a new financial model for small and medium businesses and industries with a special focus on backward classes, the Dalits, the Adivasis and the poor.

Gandhi also said that the GST will be modified as it in its current shape, along with the demonetisation, had completely destroyed the small and medium industries in the country.

Addressing a press conference on the twenty-fourth day of the Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra here, Gandhi said that except for Nitish Kumar who had left the INDIA bloc, the alliance was intact. He said the seat-sharing issues were being discussed and will be resolved soon.

‘50 per cent cap on reservation unfair’

Replying to a question on removing the 50 per cent cap on reservation, the former Congress president said it was an artificial and unfair cap. He said, that while protecting the reservation rights of the Dalits and Adivasis, the 50 per cent cap would be removed.

Hinting to include in reservations the economically weaker sections from the general category, he said, they will also not be left out and will also be benefitted.

The senior Congress leader reiterated his commitment that a caste census will be done in the country to find out the exact status of various castes. He said that chief minister A Revanth Reddy who participated in the yatra recently had told him that it would soon be started in his state.

‘Demonetisation, GST destroyed small businesses’

Gandhi disclosed that the Congress-led UPA government had done a caste survey, whose report was not released, which should have been released. He asked the prime minister Narendra Modi to release that survey report.

Gandhi observed that the demonetisation and the GST in its current form had completely destroyed the small and medium industries. He said the alliance government will bring in a new financial plan for the small and medium businesses with a special focus on the backward classes, the Dalits, Adivasis and the poor. Gandhi said, they cannot do anything about the demonetisation, done by PM Modi long ago, now, but they will change the GST.

To a question on the change of chief minister in Jharkhand, the Congress leader said that agencies like the ED, the CBI and the Income Tax are being misused to attack the opposition leaders. He said the BJP tried to remove the existing government but they (the JMM and the Congress) did not let it happen.

He added that institutions like the Election Commission of India, various investigating agencies, the bureaucracy and the police were being misused against the opposition parties and their leaders.