Rahul Gandhi Compares NRC, NPR With Demonetisation, Says 'It's Like Tax Burden on Poor'

Raipur: Hitting out at the BJP government at Centre, senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Friday called NRC and NPR a "tax burden on poor like demonetisation".

Gandhi, who was in Chhattsigarh state capital Raipur to inaugurate the three-day National Tribal Dance Festival, said, “It may be NRC or NPR, it's a tax imposed on the poor of this country." NRC-NPR are an attack on the poor people, he added.

The former national president of the Congress party, who is also critical of the amendments in Citizenship Act, said during demonetisation, poor had to line up at the banks and were made to pay money and were prevented from withdrawing own money. He added that the money snatched from the poor was given to those 10-15 people (corporates).

These provisions (NRC-NPR) are also like that which require the poor to line up before government officials and would have to pay money if there is mistake in their documents and the crores snatched from the pockets of the poor would go to the same 15 people, he added.

Slamming the Centre further, Gandhi claimed economy was growing at 9% earlier and this growth rate has shrunk to 4% even with altered mode of calculation. With our old method, the growth rate would be hardly 2.5%, he alleged saying the public now wants to know that all their money was snatched and how they would get jobs.

He praised Chhattisgarh government on development front but declined to offer grade to the tribal state adding the public offers grades, not him.

Earlier Gandhi addressing that the tribals should not be limited to art and culture and he hopes that ethnic people would be included in the functioning of the Chhattisgarh government.

Indirectly slamming the Centre of ignoring certain sections Gandhi said Indian economy can’t be run without taking along all the religions and castes including Dalits, backwards and tribals. “You do whatever you want to but nothing can’t be done on joblessness and economy unless everyone’s voice in heard in assemblies and Lok Sabha.”

Heaping praises on the Chhattisgarh government for making progress while taking with them all the sections, he slammed the Centre saying breaking won’t yield anything. “Bhai ko Bhai se ladakar desh ka kabhi fayda nahin ho sakta, (the country won’t benefit by making brother fight his brother,” said Gandhi in a veiled reference to citizenship amendment where Muslims are apparently feeling left out.