Congress to replicate Telangana welfare model at the national level, says Rahul Gandhi

NIRMAL: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi announced that if the INDIA coalition won the upcoming general elections, the welfare schemes currently in place in Telangana would be implemented nationwide.

He spoke at a public meeting 'Jana Jathara Sabha' in Nirmal on Sunday alongside Telangana's Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy, in support of Congress candidate Atram Suguna from the Adilabad Lok Sabha constituency.

Rahul Gandhi praised the Congress-led government in Telangana for its various welfare programs and suggested that these initiatives could serve as a model for national policy.

Rahul Gandhi claimed that the Congress Government in Telangana had implemented the guarantees it gave to the people during the Assembly elections. He said the Congress Government had been depositing Rs 2,500 into women's bank accounts every month, while health insurance coverage under Aarogyasri had been increased to Rs 10 lakh. He also noted that poor families were receiving subsidised gas cylinders for Rs 500, free electricity up to 200 units, and free travel for women on RTC buses.

"We did this in Telangana, and now we want to do this across India," he said, emphasising that the Congress party intended to bring similar welfare programs to the national level.

Rahul Gandhi also mentioned that the Congress Government in Telangana was providing Rs 30,000 per year to poor families, a model that would be replicated across India. He explained that under this proposed expansion, one woman from each poor family across India would receive Rs 1 lakh annually, distributed at a rate of Rs 8,500 per month. In Telangana, with the existing Rs 30,000 from the state and Rs 1 lakh from the Centre, women would receive a total of Rs 1,30,000 every year.

Rahul Gandhi criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the rising unemployment in the country and announced a new scheme, 'Pehli Naukri Pakki.' This initiative would guarantee one year of employment to all graduates and diploma holders, with permanent positions offered to those who performed well. He claimed this would be a unique scheme on a global scale, contributing to the development of a highly skilled workforce in India. Furthermore, he promised that 30 lakh vacancies across various Central Government departments would be filled.

Regarding issues affecting Adivasis in Telangana, Gandhi pledged to resolve land-related disputes, emphasising that Adivasis had the first claim on resources such as 'Jal, Jungle, Zameen' (water, forest, and land). He assured that these concerns would be addressed by the Congress Government.

Rahul Gandhi accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of being against reservation policies and attempting to undermine the rights of Dalits, Adivasis, and Other Backward Classes (OBCs). He said the Congress party was committed to increasing reservations for all castes by removing the current 50% cap. Gandhi criticised the BJP for privatising public sector undertakings to reduce the opportunities for SCs, STs, and OBCs.

"Privatisation means removing reservations. The Agniveer scheme means removing reservations. Contract jobs mean no reservations. That's why a Congress government at the Centre will not have contract jobs but will offer permanent employment," Rahul Gandhi stated.

He challenged Modi to specify where he would remove the 50% ceiling on reservations, pointing out that Congress had already committed to removing it. Rahul Gandhi claimed that Modi never spoke about lifting the reservation limit because the BJP wants to amend the Constitution to eliminate reservation entirely.

Rahul Gandhi called on everyone to protect the Constitution, increase reservation, and oust a government that, he claimed, serves only 22-25 major corporations. He described the ongoing Lok Sabha elections as a battle between two ideologies: on one side, the Congress party, which he said was dedicated to protecting the Constitution; on the other, the BJP and RSS, which he accused of seeking to erode constitutional rights.

He emphasised that many benefits the poor had received after independence - such as access to water, land, reservation, and MGNREGA - came from the Constitution. He warned that BJP leaders had publicly stated that if they won the election, they intended to change the Constitution. If this happens, he argued, reservation policies would be abolished.

He criticised the BJP for neglecting the needs of Dalits, Adivasis, and backward classes, focusing instead on serving 20-25 billionaires. He also highlighted that the BJP government had waived off loans totalling Rs 16 lakh crore, a sum equivalent to 24 years' worth of MGNREGA funds.

"When we launched MGNREGS, the media said we were spoiling workers' habits. When we waived off crop loans, they said we were encouraging irresponsible behaviour among farmers. But when Modi waived off Rs 16 lakh crore loans for 22-25 corporate giants, the media called it a sign of progress," Rahul Gandhi alleged during his speech.

He noted that today, 22 individuals were holding assets equivalent to 70% of the total wealth in India, underscoring the stark inequality in the country.

Rahul Gandhi drew attention to the country's demographic composition, stating that more than 50% of India's population consisted of Other Backward Classes (OBCs), 15% Dalits, 8% Adivasis, and 15% minorities. The remaining 5-6% were general caste poor. Despite representing nearly 90% of the population, he noted, these groups were underrepresented in influential institutions like the media and large corporations.

He highlighted that the central government was run by 90 bureaucrats, with only a handful coming from backward classes, Dalits, or Adivasis. Out of these 90, only three were from backward classes, three were Dalits, and one was an Adivasi. These individuals had minimal control over major decisions, handling just 6% of the total budget.

Given this disparity, Rahul Gandhi called for a nationwide caste census to assess the true distribution of resources and opportunities. He argued that such a census could lead to a new political landscape by revealing existing imbalances, empowering the poor and marginalised better to understand their share of the nation's wealth.