Will hike tea workers' wage to Rs 365 if Congress wins Assam election: Rahul Gandhi

 

TINSUKIA: Former Indian National Congress (INC) president Rahul Gandhi today said that the tea labourers' wages in Assam will be raised to ₹ 365 if the grand old party comes to power in the state.

Addressing a rally in Tinsukia, Rahul Gandhi said that the Congress would fulfill the tea workers' demand to increase the wages of tea garden labourers.

"We will raise it for certain. Six hours after winning the election, we will raise the wages -- not to ₹ 351, as is being demanded, but to ₹ 365," Gandhi said.

The BJP had in its 2016 vision document promised to increase the wage to ₹ 351. However, the saffron party is yet to fulfill its pre-poll promise.

"Before the Chattisgarh election, I had said at a rally that we would forsake the farmers' loans. The BJP said there was no money, to which responded by saying that there is enough money for everybody. Eventually, we ended up waiving the farm laws in the state," he said.

Rahul Gandhi also said that if his party comes to power, it will ensure the defeat of the contentious Citizenship Amendment Act.

"We have stayed its implementation in all other states, and we will ensure the same in Assam as well," he said.

Starting off with a "Jai Aai Axom", Gandhi said that students that he had met earlier had questioned why there is no generation of jobs.

The Congress leader promised that his party will "fill all the vacant government posts in the state."

 

ALSO READ: Son slaps 76-year-old woman to death in Delhi

"In every state in India, the country is unable to generate jobs for the youths. Despite the promises made by the India and his various slogans such as . However, there is no employment in the country."

Stating that "one or two big industrialists" cannot generate employment, the Congress leader that it is mainly generated by the small scale industries and businesses. "However, they are all under attack from the government of India and the government of Assam."

Criticizing the prime minister Narendra Modi-led government for the "demonitization", Rahul Gandhi said that "lakhs of businesses were shut down."

"However, black money did not end with the demonetization. The main aim of demonetization was to take money from the pockets of the poor and giving it to 2-3 rich industrialists," Gandhi stated.

Reiterating his coinage 'Gabbar Singh Tax' to refer to the 'Goods and Services Tax', the Amethi MP said that these two policies by the BJP-led government has "broken the back of the country."

Rahul also slammed the Centre's new farm laws, and alleged that the government is trying to "snatch" away the farmers' and hand it over to the industrialists.

"This is no ordinary election. The BJP has waged a war on the history and language of Assam," he said, adding that the party has plotted to run the state from the RSS headquarter Nagpur.