BJP slams Rahul, says amendments in Real Estate Bill aimed at providing 'housing for all'

Taking potshots at Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi over his remark that the 'pro-builder' NDA regime was suppressing the middle class, the Bharatiya Janata Party on Saturday said the amendments in the Real Estate (Development and Regulation) Bill are aimed at providing housing for all by 2022.

"Mr. Rahul Gandhi is probably is speaking for the fly-by-night builders and he probably happens to draw his knowledge of builders from his own family, Mr. Robert Vadra," said BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra.

"As far as the Real Estate Bill amendments are concerned, this government, the vision of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to provide housing for all by 2022 has been kept in mind," he added.

The Congress vice-president earlier today met a delegation of home buyers from the Delhi-NCR region at the AICC headquarters here and told them that the pro-builder NDA Government's new Real Estate Bill would be countered to end existing suppression of the Indian middle class.

"I have met 100-200 people today and I have learnt that not only farmers and Adivasis, (but also) the middle class people in India too are being suppressed," Gandhi told the media here.

The Congress vice-president said irregularities on issues like "super area" and "delivery date" existed in the new Real Estate Bill.

Facing a crunch of numbers in the Rajya Sabha, the Centre this week was forced to defer the Bill after the opposition insisted on it being referred to a Select Committee of Parliament.

The Bill is crucial for paving the way for construction of a large number of affordable houses. Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government at the Centre has promised houses for all by 2022.