Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Saturday launched a scathing attack on the BJP-led Centre, saying its tax structure is designed to "loot the poor."
"Indian tax structure is to loot the poor. Adani pays taxes equivalent to you. Dharavi land, worth Rs 1 lakh-crore, is being handed over to him," Gandhi alleged while addressing a rally in Jharkhand's Dhanbad.
Rahul took a jibe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, alleging, "PM Modi travels in seaplanes, goes inside the sea, but the poor and women bear the brunt of price rise."
"The truth today is that the youth and women in India are unhappy. Modi ji only gives big speeches; he does nothing. When inflation increases in the country, our mothers and sisters suffer the most. Narendra Modi has added GST on everything. The whole tax structure is a way to take money from the poor people of the country," Rahul said.
"GST is a system to steal from the poor. Eight percent of the poor are tribal, 15 percent are Dalits, 50 are from backward classes, and 15 percent are minorities," the Congress leader said.
He also claimed that the PM "never reaches out" to Dalits or tribals, but "he attends weddings of industrialists' family members."
"We call you 'tribals', but the BJP calls you 'forest dwellers'. Tribal means the first owner of the country. Whereas Vanvasi means that you have no rights in the country. They are slowly taking away your forests from you. But we want that you have the first right on water, forest, and land; you should get its benefits," the Congress leader said.
Gandhi further remarked that Scheduled Tribes (STs), Scheduled Castes (SCs), and Other Backward Classes (OBCs) constitute 90 percent of India's population, but they are not represented in government institutions.
"We will give to the poor funds equivalent to debt of capitalists waived by PM Modi," said Gandhi.
The Congress leader also promised to remove the 50 percent cap on reservation "at any cost" and argued that a caste census is a "must to reveal how the country's wealth is distributed."
"I have clearly told Modi ji—you cannot stop the caste census. We will pass the caste census in this very Parliament and break the wall of 50% reservation... In Jharkhand, we will give 28% reservation to tribals, 12% to Dalits, and 27% to backward classes," Rahul said.
Rahul also reiterated the INDIA bloc’s seven guarantees for Jharkhand, including food security, under which gas cylinders will be provided at Rs 450 and 7 kg of ration per person.
Other guarantees include local policy based on 1932 Khatian, the Sarna Dharma Code, women’s honorarium of Rs 2,500, 28% ST, 12% SC, and 27% OBC reservations, 10 lakh jobs, Rs 15 lakh health insurance, education reforms with new colleges, and increased MSP for paddy to Rs 3,200 and other crops by 50%.
Elections to the 81-member Jharkhand assembly will be held on November 13 and 20, and the counting of votes will take place on November 23.