Rahul Gandhi, Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, on Wednesday held his first masterclass where he met the 20 speakers put up by the Congress to take on the government during the discussion on the Union Budget.
The Grand Old Party has decided to boycott the Niti Aayog on grounds that the budget is against the federal structure and has termed the sops given to Bihar and Andhra Pradesh an “attempt to save the government”.
However, Gandhi, in his 10-minute meeting, made it clear to his colleagues that they should not harp on the two states getting benefits. “We should not be seen as opposing what they got. We should focus on those who missed out,” he said.
Not just this, the Congress MP also said there are at least two points in the budget that seem to be inspired by the Congress manifesto — the Employment-Linked Incentive Scheme and apprenticeship. Gandhi said the two were lifted from the ‘Pehli Naukri Pakki’ scheme of the Congress Nyay Patra.
He also insisted that since Congress was not a regional but a national party with pan-India interest, it should not focus on local issues and badmouth Andhra Pradesh and Bihar. Instead, it should speak about many states not getting funds for infrastructural development. With Bihar elections coming up soon, the Congress feels too much opposition to the monetary help could be used by BJP and JDU to corner the party.
So, the budget speeches by Congress leaders will focus on the failure of the government to ensure jobs, rising prices and an anti-middle class attitude.
The speakers, too, have been chosen by Gandhi with a plan — Kumari Selja, Congress’s Dalit woman face, was fielded as she comes from poll-bound Haryana. So does Praniti Shinde, who hails from poll-bound Maharashtra.
Keeping up the momentum against the government, Gandhi wants to ensure that the Congress behaves like a responsible national party and emerges as the champion of states that were neglected.
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