Freezing of DA insensitive, inhumane; govt should shelve bullet train, Central Vista projects: Cong

Noting that it was "insensitive and inhumane" to freeze dearness allowance, the Congress on Friday said instead of "hurting" the middle-class employees and pensioners, the government should shelve bullet train and Central Vista redevelopment projects to save money for the coronavirus fight.

"It is insensitive and inhumane on the part of the government to cut the DA of central employees, pensioners and jawans who are serving the public while fighting coronavirus, instead of suspending the bullet train project and the Central Vista beautification project of lakhs of crores (of rupees)," Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said in a tweet in Hindi.

Congress chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala asked the government to curtail 30 per cent of its own expenses and shelve the Central Vista redevelopment and bullet train projects to save money to be used to fight the coronavirus outbreak.

"The government of India, instead of helping people by giving them financial support in this crisis, is hurting them. Instead of curtailing its own wasteful expenditures, the government is cutting the money of the middle class people," he told an online press conference.

The government on Thursday froze inflation-linked allowance for its 1.1 crore employees and pensioners, a move states are likely to replicate, helping save a combined Rs 1.2 lakh crore that could be used to combat the coronavirus crisis.