GUWAHATI, March 27 - Terming Rahul Gandhi�s promise of providing Rs 72,000 each to five crore poor families annually as minimum income if his party comes to power as a mere �electoral gimmick�, the ruling BJP has said that the Congress president�s statement is nothing but a mere attempt to garner votes by making false promises.
�It is a mere poll gimmick. It is nothing but empty rhetoric. Congress ruled the country for so many decades since Independence and yet it did nothing for the poor and downtrodden masses. Where will the money come from? It is an irresponsible statement and proves Rahul Gandhi�s immaturity,� State BJP spokesperson Rupam Goswami said.
He added, �Nowadays the voters are intelligent and politically conscious. Indian people will not get swayed by such false promises. People of this country have faith in Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Our government has brought transparency in all sectors and eradicated the culture of nepotism and corruption which had prevailed during the Congress party�s rule.�
Goswami said that it will not be possible to implement such schemes considering the fiscal angle and does not make any economic sense.
However, the Congress party has hailed the Minimum Income Guarantee (Nyuntam Aay Yojana) scheme.
�This historic scheme will ensure that each family with a monthly income of less than Rs 12,000 receives Rs 6,000 per month and it will benefit around five crore families and around 25 crore people in all,� Leader of the Opposition in the Assam Legislative Assembly Debabrata Saikia said.
�The Narendra Modi government has hoodwinked people after making promises like depositing Rs 15 lakh in each person�s bank account, reviving the two sick paper mills of Assam and the like. On the other hand, Rahul Gandhi has already proved himself to be a man of his word by waiving the bank loans of farmers in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh immediately after coming to power in these states and also foiling passage of the contentious Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2016 in the Rajya Sabha,� he added.
Saikia said that the Congress has had the �enviable record� of introducing welfare schemes to ensure food security, subsidised goods and services, minimum guaranteed workdays for rural people, among other things.
�Now, under the able leadership of Gandhi a golden era of poverty alleviation will dawn in the country,� said Saikia, who is also the Leader of the State Congress Legislature Party (CLP).
Gandhi had on Monday announced that 20 per cent families belonging to the poorest category will be given Rs 72,000 each annually as minimum income if the Congress comes to power.
