Maharashtra Assembly polls: Rahul Gandhi slams Mahayuti government for ‘snatching five lakh jobs’

Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, the Congress party’s Rahul Gandhi, criticised the ruling Mahayuti government in Maharashtra for snatching five lakh jobs, alleging multiple projects had been shifted from the State to Gujarat. At rallies in Nandurbar on Thursday, he also slammed Prime Minister Narendra Modi for disrespecting the late tribal leader Birsa Munda (1875-1900) by disrespecting the Constitution. 

The Maharashtra Assembly election is scheduled for November 20.

“They say the Constitution is empty because they never read it. They say I show the ‘red colour Constitution book’, but the book cover doesn’t matter as we are protecting what is written inside it,” Mr. Gandhi said, responding to Mr. Modi’s remarks on the “blank Constitution”.

In their campaign rallies, the PM and Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis have referred to the copy of the Constitution with a red hardcover that Mr. Gandhi has carried at his rallies, alleging that he was carrying a “blank Constitution” and seeking support from “urban Naxals” with the red cover.

“The Constitution holds thousand-year-old thought processes, has ideas of the Buddha, [Jyotirao] Phule, [B.R.] Ambedkar, Birsa Munda — the soul of India thrives in it. When the BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party) says the Constitution is empty, they are disrespecting Birsa Munda,“ Mr. Gandhi said, showing a photo of the folk hero who fought in the struggle for Independence.

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Mr. Gandhi also slammed the PM for allegedly snatching at least five lakh jobs from Maharashtra and taking them to Gujarat and other States, citing examples. “Vedanta and Fox semiconductor plant was shifted to Gujarat, which could generate 10,000 jobs. ₹1.8 lakh crore worth of Tata Airbus manufacturing unit project generating 10,000 jobs; the iPhone plant generating 75,000 jobs; and the GAIL (Gas Authority of India Limited) petrochemical project generating 21,000 jobs were snatched and given to other States. This is the reason Maharashtra is facing a lack of employment. If we come to power, Maharashtra’s projects will stay here and we will provide dignified employment to everyone,” he said. 

“We waived off farm loans worth ₹70,000 crore. Mr. Modi gave the same amount of land in Dharavi alone in Mumbai to Adani [a reference to Gautam Adani of the Adani Group] at a public meeting in Nanded,” Mr. Gandhi said. 

Caste Census

Mr. Gandhi distinguished between the terms ‘Adivasi’ and ‘Vanvasi’, stating that the BJP called tribals ‘Vanvasi’, which meant “having no rights over land”. “The Constitution refers to tribals as Adivasi, meaning the first owners of the country. Adivasi means having the first rights over land, water, and forest. The BJP says you are ‘Vanvasi’ and goes around cutting forests. Congress fought for land rights through tribal Acts. When their government comes to power, they take your jungle and everything,” he said.

“Will you go to another State and pick up a labour job when slowly all the forest will be cut?“ Mr. Gandhi asked

Emphasising the need for a caste census, he compared the Adivasi population with their participation in governance. “In India, 8% are Adivasi, so bhagidari (participation) should also be 8%. Ninety officers run the Government of India; 90 officers distribute the GST you pay to the Central government. If Delhi spends only ₹100, a decision on 10 paise is taken by a tribal officer. He is not given any important Ministry. This needs to be changed. Only a caste census can change this,” he said.

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Mr. Gandhi also canvassed for the Maha Vikas Aghadi’s (MVA) schemes, including ₹3,000 to women under a ‘Mahalaxmi Yojana’; free transport to women across Maharashtra; loan waiver to small farmers; minimum support price for crops, including cotton and soybean; removal of the 50% limit on reservation; and ₹25 lakh as health insurance cover.

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said on Thursday that the MVA government would purchase soybeans from farmers, and provide a bonus if it came to power. “The MVA will form a committee to discuss onion prices. For soybean MSP, which the government is not giving, we intend to fix MSP and bonus up to ₹7,000 per quintal, and bridge the gap,” Mr. Kharge he said in Pune.

‘Love vs. hate’

“This fight is ideological. On one side there is love, respect, and brotherhood. On the other side, violence, arrogance, hatred, and attempts to finish the Constitution,” he said, adding, “In the Bharat Jodo Yatra, we had only one slogan — nafrat ke bazaar mein mohabbat ki dukan kholni hai (in the market of hatred, we have to open the shop of love).”