NEW DELHI: Buoyed by its performance in the assembly elections in Maharashtra and Haryana, the Congress on Friday launched a fresh attack on the BJP saying that the government’s priorities were in the wrong place and signing the RCEP would be the third jolt to the economy after demonetisation and GST.
After a two-hour meeting of senior Congress leaders with interim party chief Sonia Gandhi, senior leader A K Antony said the Congress would confront the government on the issues. “We want speedy economic revival. Congress is opposed to RCEP. It is bad for domestic farmers, small traders, fishermen and the dairy industry,” he said and added that the party is planning protests from November 5 to 15.
Former Union minister Jairam Ramesh, who also attended the meeting, said: “There is a text to the RCEP and there is a context. The text is bad and context is worse. With this agreement, the government cannot revive the economy. In the wake of demonetisation and faulty implementation of GST, this agreement is not going to help the country.”
He also asserted that the UPA government did not favour any free-trade agreements which China was a part of. Further attacking the BJP, the former minister said that the outcome of the Wuhan Summit and the Chennai Connect, both informal meetings between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping, was not yet known to anyone. The party’s policy group met and discussed several issues including the Citizenship Amendment Bill and the winter session of Parliament which is set to commence from November 18.
‘Desh ki Baat
Asserting that people’s mandate was clear and issues cannot be digressed from, the Congress said it would raise the common man’s issues through its Desh Ki Baat programme on social media. The first episode will be hosted by Pawan Khera on October 26. ‘Desh Ki Baat’ will address question the government on failed promises and issues of the common man.