The Congress on January 28 alleged that 140 crore Indians were living in an anyaay kaal imposed by the BJP. The Congress would ensure that justice is done to these people through the five pillars of nyay proposed by the party.
Congress spokesperson and AICC Media and Publicity chairman Pawan Khera said at a press conference that the BJP Government has mastered the art of shrouding reality behind the dazzle of an event and that is what has befallen the country and its economy.
"This government has mastered the art of how to shroud reality behind the dazzle of an event. This is something we must all learn from them. The truth about the economy is that youth from Uttar Pradesh and Haryana are queuing up for jobs in Israel. This is heart-wrenching," Mr. Khera told reporters.
Youth risking death
"Why would any person want to go to a country at war and become a labourer? The answer is that their average monthly income is just ₹10,000 (most below minimum wage) while Israel is offering almost 13-14 times that salary," he added.
Mr. Khera said it was unfortunate to see that there were 51 lakh applicants for only 60,000 vacancies of police constables in Uttar Pradesh.
"140 crore Indians are living in anyaay kaal imposed by the BJP's misrule," he said.
The Congress leader said the Narendra Modi Government will soon present its final Budget and the entire government machinery is being used to propagate the hollow slogan of Viksit Bharat.
"And this Budget will be an extension of this shiny, glitzy, extravagant picture of India where the Finance Minister reads out paragraph after paragraph praising the Pradhan Mantri ji laced with a lot of superficial claims," Mr. Khera said.
"The dazzle of this Budget speech should not blur the reality of this government," he added.
Reality is grim
Citing figures to substantiate his claim that the reality of India's economy is far different, the Congress leader claimed that half of the Indian people (71 crore) have an income of ₹3,87,000 per year.
The per capita monthly income of the bottom 10% is just ₹6,000 and of the bottom 11-20% ₹12,000, Mr. Khera said.
In the past five years, under the Modi Government, the growth rate of real rural wages has become negative for both agriculture (-0.6%) and non-agriculture (-1.4%), which means there is widespread rural distress, he added.
The Congress leader said the "Modi Government may drumbeat about poverty numbers" but the "stark reality is different".
"According to the UNDP's multi-dimensional poverty index, 22.8 crore people or about 16% of the population are below the poverty line. (According to NITI Aayog, it is 11.28% or 16.8 crore)," Mr. Khera said.
Figures show truth
In the past 10 years, the Modi Government has made India the "Vishwaguru" in joblessness with a 45-year-high unemployment rate, he added.
Growth in private consumption expenditure, which is a catalyst for job creation, is at a 21-year low and FMCG sales did not see any increase in 2023, again indicating why household savings are at a 50-year low," the Congress leader claimed.
"Even as the Modi Government is busy toppling elected governments via the backdoor, the Economic Distress remains precarious. This shows their priorities," Mr. Khera said.
The Congress leader said whatever optics you create, the truth emerges in these figures. One needs to personally witness the state of affairs in the country. Which is what Rahul Gandhi is doing with his Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra. He is meeting people across the country and discovering their plight.
"The government should be ashamed of this data that shows 80 crore people depend on free ration. This is shameful and is a report card of this government," Mr. Khera said.
"In the days to come, the Congress party will present a positive agenda of NYAY, which our leader Shri Rahul Gandhi has spoken about in the Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra. The five pillars of NYAY: Yuva NYAY, Bhagidari NYAY, Nari NYAY, Kisan NYAY and Shram NYAY," he said.
"We will ensure NYAY (justice) for 140 crore Indians and emerge from 10 years of Modi Government misrule (ANYAY)," Mr. Khera added.
