'Only a small amount': What Rahul Gandhi clarified on 'wealth redistribution'
A major controversy erupted as Prime Minister Narendra Modi said Congress promised to redistribute wealth to those who have more children.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday said the party manifesto promised the return of a small amount of money to the 90% people of the country from the ₹16 lakh crore that Prime Minister Narendra Modi gave to select 22 people. "We did not say we will return the entire 16 lakh crore. We have calculated and said only a small amount of money would be returned," Rahul Gandhi said speaking at Samajik Nyay Sammelan in Delhi's Jawahar Bhawan.
"We have calculated...what we felt is justice and that help should be given, we put it down in the manifesto," Rahul Gandhi said.
As he asked people how they liked the party's manifesto, Rahul Gandhi said, "You must have seen that the Prime Minister has panicked. It is a revolutionary manifesto."
The ‘redistribution’ has become a major flashpoint between the Congress and the BJP after PM Narendra Modi said the Congress will take money and distribute it among those who have more children. The Congress rejected the charge and accused PM Modi spread lies about the manifesto.
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'No shakti can stop caste census'
Asserting that the caste census will be the first thing the Congress would do if the party comes to power, Rahul Gandhi said it will not be confined to caste census but also economic and institutional survey. It will be a national x-ray, Rahul Gandhi said adding that after 70 years of independence, it would be a vital and logical step to assess the situation.
'They call me non-serious'
"They say I'm not serious, I'm not interested in politics. Land Acquisition Bill, MNREGA, Niyamgiri, Bhatta Parsaul are not serious. But Amitabh Bachchan, Aishwarya Rai, and Virat Kohli are serious issues. When people talk about the larger population they call us non-serious. When you don't have the loudspeaker in hand, everything that you say is non-serious," Rahul Gandhi said.