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Govt should not become a moneylender, says Rahul Gandhi
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has insisted that the government must come up with a “national strategy for income.”
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said on Saturday the government should not become a “sahukar” or money lender in his first structured response to the Rs 20 lakh crore financial package offered by the Centre to reboot the economy battered by the coronavirus pandemic.
He argued in favour of cash assistance instead of loans that are being announced and warned of an impending economic crisis, asking the government to consider rolling out Congress’ NYAY scheme temporarily in urban areas.
Gandhi insisted that the government must come up with a “national strategy for income.”
“When a child is hurt, the mother doesn’t offer a loan. As a citizen, my disappointment is the (Rs 20 lakh crore) package should not be of loans but for giving money in their hands. The government should not be a sahukar,” Gandhi said during an interaction with reporters of regional electronic media as finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman has been announcing the details of the schemes.
Gandhi repeatedly pointed out to pet scheme NYAY—the cash-for-poor scheme that was pitched as the key plank in the 2019 election but didn’t find many takers.
He clarified that the scheme should be implemented, albeit temporarily in urban areas while MGNREGS—a hallmark innovation of the UPA-era—must be strengthened in the rural areas.
He, however, refused to indulge in a political blame game with the Modi government and said that his party will apply pressure “pyar se” on the government to accept their proposals.
“I have heard the reason not to give money is to retain ratings. Our ratings are made by our farmers, our workers and businessmen. When people will start working, India’s ratings will improve,” he said as he warned the government of an economic storm which is impending.
According to Gandhi, the most important thing now is to “fire demand and supply” and while infrastructure is certainly key, the government must give money in the hand of poor, echoing what many economists had been advocating.
“If you want to start an engine you have put fuel in the carburettor. The fuel is cash. We must have a national strategy for income. We can’t sacrifice our economy as well as our elder generation,” Gandhi said suggesting that in the short time, small and medium business, farmers, migrant labourers and people in the high-risk category need to be protected.
He refused to compare the current economic crisis with that of 1991 when the Congress government ushered in economic reforms. And while he narrated the steps taken by the Congress-ruled states to help the poor and migrant workers, he didn’t hesitate to draw the line of difference between the Congress and its coalition governments.
When asked about the lack of services offered by Maharashtra for migrant workers, Gandhi said, “There is a difference between Congress and the alliance government. if you look at Congress states like Chhattisgarh, you will see a very aggressive strategy. But in an alliance, we try to put pressure through conversations.”
