Two Indias—one for the rich and the other for the poor: Rahul Gandhi in Lok Sabha

Tribune News Service

Ajay Banerjee
New Delhi, February 2

India faces a challenge that is the creation of two Indias—one extremely wealthy and the other is being pushed deeper into poverty, said Rahul Gandhi as he accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of behaving like a “King” and of fiddling with the “idea of India”.

Gandhi was speaking in Lok Sabha on Wednesday on the “motion of thanks” on the Presidential Address.

Gandhi said one India is for extremely rich people and those who have immense wealth and power, while the other side has those who are being pushed into poverty.

“The poor of India have no jobs. The Presidential address had not a word on unemployment,” he said. “About 3 crore jobs were lost in 2021. The SME and MSME enterprises have had no support rather have been attacked by the Government.”

He listed demonetisation, the wrong implementation of GST, and lack of support during coronavirus as causes of the “attack”.

“The UPA uplifted 27 crore people from poverty and you have pushed 23 crore people into poverty,” he said.

He claimed monopolies were being created in the formal sector and accused ‘Adani and Ambani’ of cornering ports, airports, petrochemicals, power transmission, green energy, telecom and e-commerce.

“There can be no ‘Make in India’ until SMEs and MSMEs are doing better. Manufacturing has been reduced by 46 percent,” he said. “You have focused only on 5 or 10 big industries.”

“I am not against the big industry,” he qualified.

Taking on the BJP and Modi, he said it is Union of India, “a partnership and not a Kingdom”. 

“The only way India has been ruled is by conversation and negotiation. You people are confused. You think you can suppress people.  You have no idea of history.”

“There is a vision that India can be ruled by a stick from the centre. Every time it has been done that stick has been broken,” said Gandhi and said he was not afraid to speak about the Emergency when it was pointed out by the ruling party.

Gandhi cited the example of farmers saying they stood in protest for one year.

“But it did not matter, the King does not agree. You don’t listen to anyone”, he added, accusing the BJP and the Prime Minister of functioning like a King.

The confused understanding of the country is playing havoc, he said.

Pegasus, the judiciary, and control over the Election Commission are all acts of destroying the country.

“The PM personally goes to Israel and authorises use of Pegasus,” he said.

“My great-grandfather (Jawaharlal Nehru)  spent 15 years in jail, my grandmother (Indira Gandhi) took 32 bullets, and my father (Rajiv Gandhi) was blown away with pieces, I know history,” he said.

“Please stop. If you don’t stop you will create problems. What you are doing is dangerous and demonstrates a lack of understanding of history”, said Gandhi. “Go back and look at empires that have ruled in India. It is always a union of states.”

He accused the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh and the BJP of weakening the foundation of the country.

Rahul Gandhi also criticised the country’s foreign policy, saying that India currently stood isolated in her own neighbourbood.

 “The Chinese have a clear vision about what they want to do. The single biggest strategic goal of India’s foreign policy was to keep China and Pakistan separate, you have brought them together,” Gandhi said. “China acts in Doklam and Ladakh are the foundation of serious threat.”

Gandhi’s remarks about unemployment in the country came a few days after unrest among candidates of the Railway Recruitment Board’s NTPC exam. Protests over the exam’s shortlisting process turned violent in Bihar earlier this week.  

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