New Delhi: Eyeing the upcoming Assembly elections in five states, the Congress party is all set to hold a rally in Jaipur on Sunday to raise the issue of inflation and price rise of essential commodities all across the country.
Congress party's top leadership, including its President Sonia Gandhi and former President Rahul Gandhi, will address the rally. Other senior leaders from different states will also take part in the 'Mehangayi Hatao Rally'.
A statement issued by Congress party on Saturday said, "On December 12, Rajasthan will become a witness - of the 'great war' against inflation. Under the leadership of Mrs. Sonia Gandhi and Mr. Rahul Gandhi, a decisive battle will begin against the arrogant Modi government, drunk in power and sleeping in Kumbhakarn's sleep, whose echo will be heard across the country."
Congress also slammed the Modi Government for denying permission to hold this rally in Delhi because of which the venue had to be shifted to Jaipur, saying that the "dictators have been defeated".
"If you take the name of the Modi government, it echoes - 'Inflation and unemployment. The Modi government has done a double attack on the people of the country. On the one hand, the opportunities of livelihood were snatched away, on the other hand, the country was thrown into the fire of inflation," the statement read.
"If we look at the activities of the last seven years, then only and only "opportunity for a few capitalists" and "cheating the people of the country" is visible," it further added.
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Congress also mentioned that when the BJP government came to power in 2014, cooking gas was at ₹ 400, petrol at ₹ 70 per litre, diesel at ₹ 56 per litre, pulses at ₹ 60, and cooking oil at ₹ 70, but today, cooking gas is at ₹ 1000, petrol-diesel is at ₹ 100, cooking oil is at ₹ 250, pulses have reached ₹ 200, and even tomatoes are at the price of ₹ 100 per kg.
"In the last seven years, the Modi government has looted ₹ 24 lakh crore from the pockets of the public by increasing the excise duty on petrol, diesel, cess, dividend etc. Excise duty on diesel was reduced by ₹10 per litre after the defeat of by-polls on November 4, but it is still ₹21.80 per litre, which is 512 per cent more than Congress government," Congress alleged.
It also quoted a report of RBI which said that despite demonetisation, the amount of cash in the economy increased by 64 per cent - just before demonetisation, on November 4, 2016, the 'cash in circulation' was ₹ 17.74 lakh crore, which increased to ₹ 29.17 lakh on October 29, 2021 crore has become.
"Neither extremism nor Naxalism has been eradicated, on the contrary, the counterfeiting of fake notes has also increased and 'black money' is unbridled in the economy," the statement read.
The statement quoted recent reports of the Global Hunger Index, World Inequality, NSO, Labour Ministry, and Oxfam. "The shocking fact also came out in the NSO report that the average debt on the farmer of the country is ₹ 74,000. In seven years, the Modi government wrote off 10 lakh crore rupees of the loans of the banks of the favourite Dhannaseths, but did not give even a penny to the farmer in the name of loan waiver," said Congress accusing the Modi Government of pushing people below the poverty line.
"During the 10 years of Congress-UPA's tenure, 27 crore people were able to get out of poverty line due to public welfare policies. On the contrary, in 7 years of Modi government, the anti-people policies pushed 23 crore people of the country again below the poverty line. That is, one thing is clear that defeat Modi-BJP, get rid of inflation," Congress asserted.
