Will prevent few billionaires from controlling all wealth: Rahul Gandhi

Congress MP Rahul Gandhi on Friday said that his party will change the status quo prevailing in the country in which a select few billionaires have complete control over wealth and resources, while the 90 per cent of the population remains marginalised and sidelined.

Rahul Gandhi promised to create a special Rs 5,000 crore dedicated corpus fund to encourage entrepreneurship among the youth coming from ordinary family backgrounds to start their own businesses.

Addressing a well attended public meeting on the fifty-fifth day of the Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra here today, Gandhi referred to five revolutionary guarantees for youth his party made yesterday, which include a first-year job guarantee (apprentice) for the youth immediately after they complete their education like a degree or a diploma.

The former Congress president pointed out, that right now a select few billionaire industrial friends of Prime Minister Narendra Modi were controlling everything from the apple trade in Himachal Pradesh to airports, ports, infrastructure and storage.

Rahul Gandhi said, that while Prime Minister Modi waived off Rs 16 lakh crore debt of billionaire industrialists, he never waived off any debt of any farmer, labourer or student.

He said, the MGNREGA scheme, which guarantees rural employment to crores of Indians and which was started by the UPA government, costs Rs 65,000 crores a year. By waiving off Rs 16 lakh crores debt of big industrialists, Mr Modi has paid them 25 years of MGNREGA money, he pointed out.

Rahul Gandhi said, like PM Modi has kept all the doors of all banks open for the big billionaires, the Congress government will provide loans to the youth coming from common and ordinary family backgrounds. For this, he said, a Rs 5,000 crore dedicated corpus fund will be created which will be available at district and block level.

He also asked the Prime Minister about his 'Start Up India' and 'Make in India' slogans. The senior Congress leader alleged that the main motive behind the Agnipath scheme was to benefit Adani as Prime Minister Modi has handed over him the job of defence manufacturing.

Rahul Gandhi said, earlier weapons were manufactured in the ordnance factory of the government and now it will be done by Adani. He said that the money, which was till now spent on the welfare of soldiers like pensions and canteen facilities will now be given to Adani.

He said, that even the army did not want the Agnipath scheme, which is grossly unjust and discriminatory towards the Agniveers who will be rendered jobless within four years without any retirement benefits available to soldiers.

Rahul Gandhi reiterated the guarantee of filling 30 lakh vacancies in various government departments and public sector undertakings, besides promising stringent laws against paper leaks. AICC General Secretary (Gujarat) Mukul Wasnik, Gujarat PCC president Shakti Singh Gohil were among those present at the occasion.