"Poverty won't go away by banging plates...": Rahul Gandhi
May 13, 2024
Raebareli (Uttar Pradesh) [India], May 13 : Taking a dig at the Modi government, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Monday said that poverty in the country will not go away by banging plates and switching lights on mobile phones.
Notably, Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2020 had appealed to the people to clap, beat steel plates and ring bells during the ''Janata curfew'' during the lockdown to express gratitude towards those risking their lives and working tirelessly during the coronavirus outbreak.
Rahul Gandhi also targeted the BJP-led Centre for implementing the Agnipath scheme, saying that this scheme is an injustice to those coming from poor sections of society.
Addressing a public meeting in Raebareli, Rahul Gandhi said, "Poverty won't go away by banging plates. Neither will it go away by switching on the flashlights of mobile phones. He implemented Agniveer and calls himself a patriot. No patriot will implement this scheme. Out of 4 Agniveers, three of them will be sent back home and these three will definitely belong to poor and backward classes."
The Agnipath scheme was announced by the Centre in June 2022.This model seeks to recruit soldiers for only four years, with a provision to retain 25 per cent of them in regular service.Those recruited under the scheme are called 'Agniveers'.
The Congress, on May 3, announced Rahul Gandhi as a candidate from Raebareli and loyalist KL Sharma from Amethi, keeping Priyanka as well as Vadra out of the electoral contest.
Rahul Gandhi is a sitting MP in Kerala's Wayanad, where he is seeking a fresh term alongside Rae Bareli. Rahul represented Amethi from 2004 until 2019.
He will face Congress defector and three-time MLC Dinesh Pratap Singh of BJP in Raebareli.
Raebareli constituency goes to the polls on May 20 in the fifth phase. In the 2019 Lok Sabha Elections, Congress leader Sonia Gandhi won the constituency, bagging 5,34,918 votes. Her closest rival, Dinesh Pratap Singh, put up a formidable challenge, gathering 3,67,740 votes.
