Govt destroying economy by refusing aid to poor: Rahul
nNEW DELHI: Senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Saturday alleged that the government was “actively destroying” the country’s economy by “refusing to give cash support to the poor and small and medium enterprises” amid the coronavirus disease pandemic.
“Government is actively destroying our economy by refusing to give cash support to people and MSMES. This is Demon 2.0,” he tweeted, along with a news report on the impact of the pandemic on the economy and the micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMES) sector.
The opposition party has been demanding immediate cash assistance of ~10,000 to the poor and an economic stimulus package for the MSME industry to tide over the crisis triggered by the Covid-19 pandemic.
Gandhi has also urged the government to make a monthly transfer ~7,500 to the poor and migrant workers for a period of six months.
The Congress has argued that MSMES contributed close to one third of the nation’s gross domestic product (GDP), accounted for almost 50% of exports and employed over 110 million people.
Without appropriate support, over 6.3 crore MSME units stand on the verge of economic ruin, the opposition party has claimed.
The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), however, dismissed Gandhi’s charge.
“For the first time despite being forced to stay in the country for so long, Gandhi has not found time to keep himself abreast with the announcements made by the government, especially related to the MSME sector, the poor and the marginalised as part of the Aatmanirbhar Bharat,” BJP spokesperson Nalin Kohli said.
Gandhi had earlier said that it was criminal on the part of the government not to provide cash to people and the industry to emerge out of this crisis.
He had termed the lockdown imposed by the government to contain the spread of virus as one that “failed” in achieving its aim and purpose.