Congress President Rahul Gandhi Sunday assured his party would provide special category status to Andhra Pradesh if voted to power in the Lok Sabha elections and would carry out "surgical strike" on poverty.
He expressed 'surprise' that parties in the state were not 'aggressively' pushingg Prime Minister Narendra Modi to grant the special category status, promised by the UPA when the state was bifurcated five years ago.
Launching his party's campaign in Andhra Pradesh that goes to simultaneous assembly and Lok Sabha polls on April 11, he told a rally here that his promise of a minimum income scheme NYAY was a "non-violent weapon" that will be used to uplift the poorest.
Gandhi, whose party is contesting the polls in Andhra Pradesh alone, said while Modi did "surgical strikes against the poor" his party will carry it out against poverty.
He accused Modi of creating two Indias -- one for the richest people "like Anil Ambani and Mehul Choksi" and another for poor farmers, labourers and unemployed youth.
"Our idea is to make one united India where everyone is happy. Modi wants to make two Indias... So we have decided in 2019 that the congress will carry out a surgical strike on poverty.
"If Modi can declare war on the poor and weak people of the country, we will declare war on poverty. We will give NYAY to the people of India. NYAY is our non-violent weapon against poverty," the Congress chief said.
He said the proposal of Congress to provide Rs 72,000 annually to the 20 per cent of the poorest was historic and would benefit five crore families and 25 crore individuals.
The beneficiaries would be identified using Aadhar and other technical assistance, he added.
Asserting that the Congress would implement the poll promise as it had done in the case of MNREGA and others in the past, he said "I am not Modi, I do not lie... He lied to you that he will give money to the poor people. He gave money to the richest in the land."
Devoting most part of his over 30 minute speech to target Modi, Gandhi said while the previous Congress-led UPA had created poverty eradication schemes, the prime minister "dismantled everything."
Reiterating his allegation that Modi helped liquor baron Vijay Mallya, diamantaire Nirav Modi and Mehul Choksi flee the country and his charge of a scam in the Rafael deal, Gandhi said "the chowkidar of the country stole from the country and gave it to Anil Ambani."
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