New Delhi
Former Congress President Rahul Gandhi has a conviction that PMi Modi will one day yield to his demand to put Rs7,500 every month in the bank accounts of the poor, not permanently but at least for six months.
In a statement ahead of the PM’s address to the nation on Tuesday as if his suggestions may figure in the address, Rahul said he had suggested that it should be done 3-4 times on earlier also, stressing it would create demand and the economy will start rolling. He wants the government to launch a scheme like the “Nyay Yojana” the Congress championed during the Lok Sabha election last year.
He said the govt has rejected the idea repeatedly on the ground it does not have that kind of money to disburse. He reminded the nation it is the same government, which has waived tax of lakhs of crores to 15 richest crony capitalists and it has raised prices of petrol and diesel to make money. The prices were raised 22 times and so there is no shortage of money with the government. It won’t cost more than 3 lakh crore to put Rs7,500 every month in the accounts of the poor for six months, he said.
Rahul also wanted the PM to speak on the Chinese intrusions. He said the entire nation wants to know about India's pious land snatched away by China. "Facts don’t lie. BJP says: Make in India. BJP does: Buy from China. The entire country knows that China has snatched India’s sacred land. Everyone knows that China has transgressed into Indian territory at four places in Ladakh. Narendra Modi ji, please tell the country when will you throw out China’s army from India’s territory and how," Rahul said.
Meanwhile, senior Congress leader Digvijay Singh questioned the PM Modi’s “silence” on the Chinese forces entering Indian territory in Ladakh. “Army officials are also confirming that such an incident had occurred. 20 persons (soldiers) were martyred (in Galwan Valley). 10 Army men, including officials, were arrested and later released, but the PM is saying nothing had happened. Then who is speaking the truth?” Singh said.
Party spokesperson Supriya Shrinate said, “Does the PM realise people need milk, vegetables, medicine for which they need money and which is why direct cash transfer is the only means to address their misery and rescue the economy.” She said since Corona spread in India, the Modi Govt has taken:
-- $1bn loan from World Bank
-- $1.5bn loan from ADB
-- $4bn loan in pipeline from IMF
-- Rs20K-cr or more for PM Cares Fund
--Doubled taxes on fuel
--Increased market borrowing
by over Rs4L-cr due to virus.
Ahmed Patel quizzed again
New Delhi: A large team of the ED quizzed veteran Congress treasurer and MP Ahmed Patel (70) for the second time on Tuesday at his residence under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) for his alleged political protection to Vadodara-based pharma firm Sterling Biotech Group’s promoters Saandesaras and their alleged quid-pro-quo relations with them.
An ED official claimed Patel was evasive in his earlier interrogation on Saturday, giving no actionable evidence, and so it decided to record his another statement under the PMLA on his relationship with the Sandesara brothers Nitin and Chetan and Deepti, wife of Chetan, promoters of the firm who absconded to Nigeria late 2017 or early 2018 after an alleged Rs14,500 crore bank fraud. This is for the third time Patel has been probed as he was questioned last year on allegedly taking a bribe of Rs25 lakh from a middle man on behalf of Sandesara, which he had dismissed as “baseless”.
