Pilot targets BJP over demonetisation, GST at Rajasthan farmers' meet

Nagaur (Rajasthan) [India], January 16 : Lashing out at the Narendra Modi government at the Centre on Monday, Congress leader and former Rajasthan deputy chief minister Sachin Pilot said it has failed to fulfill the promises made to farmers and has, in fact, put them under severe stress through demonetisation and Goods and Services Tax (GST).
Addressing the Kisan Sammelan (farmers' meeting) at Nagaur, Pilot said, "The government promised to double farmers' income but failed to keep it. It put our farmers and the generak public under further stress through implementation of demonetisation and the GST."
He claimed further that the government has pushed the country into a debt trap of Rs 1.5 lakh crore.
"The country had a debt of Rs 56 crore nine years ago, but it has now swelled to Rs 1.5 lakh crore. The entire wealth of the country is now in the hands of only 10 per cent of the population, who are industrialists or those belonging to big families," the Congress leader said.
The Congress leader added that the BJP should remember that power cannot be gained by misleading the people every time.
"The country has now become synonymous with the politics of hate on the basis of religion and caste. The government which makes false promises should keep in mind that power cannot be attained every time by misleading the people," Pilot said.
Meanwhile, speaking at the farmers' meet, Hemaram Chaudhary, a minister in the Ashok Gehlot government who is considered close to Pilot, sought to pitch the latter's credentials and image with an eye on the next Assembly elections in the state.
Claiming the crowd gathered at the meeting as Pilot supporters, Chaudhary said, "Pilot-ji is neither aspiring for a post in the organisation nor he government. Yet, a huge crowd has turned out for this meeting. This shows his support base in the state."
While not naming Pilot, he said the youth should be given an opportunity to shine in politics, failing which they would 'push' their way forward.
Pilot had been locked in a bitter power tussle with CM Gehlot eversince the former engineered a coup with a band of loyalist MLAs.
While Gehlot thwarted the bid to unseat him from power, Pilot was removed as deputy CM despite leading the Congress to an unlikely win in the last Assembly polls.
The two hadn't been seeing eye to eye, with the CM even going on record to call him 'nakara' and 'nikamma' (useless).
In a interview with a television news channel last year, Gehlot launched a fresh diatribe against his baiter, accusing him of betraying the party and claiming he would never be chief minister.
Pilot had hit back calling the allegations baseless.
With the feud between the two leaders threatening to split the party down the middle ahead of the next Assembly polls, the Congress last year brokered a truce as the CM and his former deputy arrived for a joint press briefing in a bid to convey a message of unity.
Also attending the farmers' meet on Monday were Congress MLAs Ramniwas Gavadia, Mukesh Bhakar, Virendra Chaudhary, former MLA Naseem Akhtar, and former Mayor of Jaipur Jyoti Khandelwal.