New Delhi: The Congress hopes to corner the Centre with a new narrative highlighting that the Modi government has failed to control rampaging inflation and unemployment and has prepared a plan to hold statewide meetings at wholesale and retail markets from Aug 17-23 culminating in a big rally in Delhi on Aug 28. The big rally at Delhi’s famous Ramlila Ground will be addressed by the top leaders, including Rahul and Priyanka, who have been targeting the Centre over the two issues.
The Congress had pressed for a debate on these two issues during the recently concluded Parliament session and was miffed at Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman’s reply that there is no price rise problem. The intensified agitational program has been announced in response to the PM’s “black magic” remark to describe the Aug 5 protests when top Congress leaders wore black clothes as a mark of protest.
On that day, Union Home Minister Amit Shah had charged the Congress leaders with wearing black clothes to protest the foundation day of the Ayodhya temple, which was strongly objected to by the party. AICC Secretary Qazi Mohammed Nizamuddin said: “The Congress is taking up public issues which is what it should do as a national opposition party. The black magic remark is an attempt to distract people.”
According to AICC Secretary Ashish Dua, the BJP was worried as the Congress high command had stood against the black days unleashed by the BJP on democracy, livelihoods of the people, social harmony and peace. “To put in black and white, the party and its leadership including Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi have stood unambiguously against the black days unleashed by the BJP on democracy, lives and livelihoods of the people, harmony and peace.
They have been undeterred and unfettered and that is what has been troubling the BJP that its Blackmagic was losing charm, big time,” Dua told ETV Bharat. Delhi Congress chief Anil Chaudhary said: “I wonder if asking questions from the government on price rise and unemployment issues is black magic. The PM helping his rich friends is black magic. We will hold a big national rally on price rise and unemployment issues.”
On Thursday, Congress veteran Jairam Ramesh claimed that the party’s genuine protests over price rise and unemployment had resonated with the people and the PM’s desperate attempt to tar the legitimate agitation as “black magic” showed his government’s insecurity over its failure to control rampaging inflation and joblessness.
“The people of India are suffering because of the Modi government’s economic mismanagement. Inflation is being exacerbated by higher taxes on essential goods like curd, buttermilk, and packaged food grains, while the transfer of public assets to crony capitalists and the introduction of the misguided Agnipath scheme are making the bad employment situation worse.
The Indian National Congress will continue to spread awareness about these anti-people policies among the people and increase pressure on the BJP government to change course,” said Ramesh. Besides the price rise and unemployment issues, Congress had also been flagging the Agnipath defense recruitment scheme demanding its roll back.
The party has decided to support an awareness movement against the scheme by three separate organizations belonging to farmers, ex-servicemen and unemployed youth. The party will also launch its own agitation across the country listing the shortcomings of the scheme. “The Agnipath scheme is neither in the interest of the youth nor the country’s security. It should be rolled back,” Rajya Sabha member Deepender Hooda said.
