Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Wednesday urged the people of poll-bound Madhya Pradesh to assume the role of Hanuman and defeat the BJP, who 'deceived' them. Addressing a public meeting in Madhya Pradesh's Sanwer, she said that the elected government of the people had been "hijacked" by the BJP and this led to endless suffering for the state.
"There is a popular temple of Ulte Hanuman ji here... In 2018, you elected a government in MP. The way Ahiravan had deceived Lord Ram and Laxman, the same way you [the public] were deceived. Kuch behroopiyon ne chhal-kapat karke aap ki sarkar ka apharan kiya [A few impostors deceived the people and hijacked your elected government]. Today, if you don't become like Hanuman ji and fight for yourselves, who will? For 3 years now, you have been suffering at the hands of a government that you didn't elect..." she said.
"Your elected government was stolen and took away your right to democracy... Now, you have to bring it back," she said.
Priyanka Gandhi was referring to the fall of the Kamal Nath government in 2020 after 22 MLAs, led by Jyotiraditya Scindia, defected to the BJP.
She then reiterated the Congress's assurances to the people of Madhya Pradesh if it came back to power:
- Rs 1500 every month to women
- Gas cylinder at Rs 500
- 100 units of electricity free, 200 units of electricity at half price
- Old pension will be revived
- 2 lakh government posts will be filled
- Unemployment allowance of Rs 3000 every month
- Farmers' loans will be waived off
- MSP guarantee: Rs 2600 for wheat, Rs 2500 for paddy
- 27% reservation for backward people
- Will conduct caste based census
- 100% waiver of competitive exam fee
- Free insurance up to Rs 25 lakh for families
- Accident insurance of Rs 10 lakh
- The vacant backlog posts of SC-ST, OBC will be filled.
- Padhao Padhao Scheme: Free education from class 1 to 12, scholarship of Rs 500 per month for class 1-8, Rs 1000 for class 9-10, Rs 1500 for class 11-12
Earlier on Monday, addressing a public meeting in Kukshi town in Dhar, Madhya Pradesh, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra expressed concern over the impact of GST and demonetization on small traders and citizens.
Gandhi also accused the BJP-led Centre of shutting down public sector industries, leading to high unemployment rates. She highlighted the introduction of demonetization and the Goods and Services Tax (GST) as contributing factors to the distress faced by small traders. According to her, GST's widespread applicability has created difficulties for small traders, resulting in inflation and unemployment.
The Congress leader took aim at the Centre for allegedly "gifting" public sector firms to industrialists, causing further unemployment. She also pointed out the Centre's failure to contain inflation.
Accusing the government of having misplaced priorities, Gandhi pointed out the construction of tall buildings while claiming insufficient funds for farmers' dues or loan write-offs. She highlighted the reduction in LPG cylinder prices ahead of the Assembly polls and questioned why this action wasn't taken earlier during the government's 18-year tenure.
Challenging the Shivraj Singh Chouhan government's track record, Gandhi questioned the fulfilment of over 22,000 announcements made during its rule. She urged voters to scrutinize Congress governments in other states to verify the implementation of promised initiatives, such as providing Rs 1,500 per month to women, offering cylinders at Rs 500, and reinstating the Old Pension Scheme. Gandhi called on the crowd to make informed decisions and vote for the Congress in the upcoming Assembly polls, with the vote count scheduled for December 3 in Madhya Pradesh.