COIMBATORE/TIRUPUR: It was a unique campaign of sorts, as it was as much about feel-good human emotions as it was about fiery speeches and political issues. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi took customers at a small bakery in Tirupur by surprise when he sprang out of his caravan for a cuppa and some selfies with local youngsters.
He invited an elderly woman standing near the shop to share a piece of cake with him. He asked about her life, her finances, her family, before a group of youngsters whisked him away for pictures. He then visited the ‘Tirupur’ Kumaran memorial and paid respects to the freedom fighter. Hours before, he was seen dancing with members of the Toda tribal community in Karumathampatti, Coimbatore.
Speaking there, he launched a sharp attack on the BJP-ruled Centre for neglecting the issues concerning Tamil Nadu. Gandhi began his campaign by criticising Prime Minister Narendra Modi for “disrespecting the Tamil culture and language, and the people of the State.” Addressing party functionaries gathered on Avinashi Road, Gandhi said that Modi wanted Tamil people to be subservient to his ideology — one language, one culture.
“There is an ideological war happening in the country. Modi believes that India should have only one culture, one language, one idea.” Gandhi reassured his support for the farmers protesting against the recently enacted farm laws. At Karumathampatti, he rebuked the Prime Minister for “thinking that he can control the government and the people of Tamil Nadu.” Recalling demonetisation, Gandhi said the note ban had broken the backbone of labourers. He met with members of various trade unions on Saturday.
Several times during rallies, he stated that he shared a “blood relationship” with the people of Tamil Nadu. Not just with union members, the Congress leader also caught up with industrialists to hear their issues. “Whether in power or in Opposition, I will continue to voice issues of entrepreneurs,” Rahul Gandhi told them. Industrialists from across the State attended the meeting held at a private hall near Kalappatti.
Blaming major policies of the Central government such as the Goods and Service Tax and demonetisation for crippling the micro, small and medium enterprises (MSME) sector of the country, the Congress leader said, “The GST has to be restructured and we should come up with a single minimum tax structure. Demonetisation was a massive blow to the economy. The MSME sector which is dependent on the steady cash flow was hugely affected.”
After several MSME representatives shared their bitter experiences with the GST, Gandhi replied, “The GST cannot have five slabs. The whole idea of a single tax system is defeated here. Our government will deliver a single-slab GST with minimum tax. The Centre has to urgently untie the MSME’s hands.”
Referring to how the pandemic is affecting the sector, Gandhi added, “Covid worsened the situation. From the beginning, I asked the government to help MSMEs tackle the lockdown crisis.
But they said I was fearmongering. The Centre is interested in offering loan waivers to only a few massive industry players. There is no way forward without providing incentives to small-scale industries. The government must understand this.”
“The present government does not believe in listening to the public or holding discussions before taking policy decisions. The massive farmers’ protest in Delhi is the latest outcome of this government forcibly imposing their decisions on the people,” he said adding that the party at Centre believes power should be centralised and one man should control everything.