Raipur, January 28: In what could probably be the tallest poll plank of the Congress moving into the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, party president Rahul Gandhi told a gathering here that if the Congress gets elected to power, it would provide a minimum basic income to every "poor" individual of the nation.
"After winning 2019 elections, every poor person would be given minimum income. No government in the world has done this," the Gandhi scion said while addressing a farmers' rally in Raipur on Monday. Universal Basic Income to be Rolled Out by Modi Government Before 2019 LS Polls: Report.
Calling it a "historic announcement", the official Twitter handle of the Congress has released the video of Gandhi guaranteeing basic minimum income if the party comes to power. Watch below:
कांग्रेस पार्टी ने एक ऐतिहासिक निर्णय लिया है कि 2019 चुनाव जीतने के एकदम बाद कांग्रेस पार्टी गारंटी करके न्यूनतम आमदनी देने जा रही है : कांग्रेस अध्यक्ष @RahulGandhi #CongressForMinimumIncomeGuarantee pic.twitter.com/jTttgR2wFB
— Congress (@INCIndia) January 28, 2019
Here's what Rahul Gandhi tweeted following his announcement in Chhattisgarh:
We cannot build a new India while millions of our brothers & sisters suffer the scourge of poverty.
If voted to power in 2019, the Congress is committed to a Minimum Income Guarantee for every poor person, to help eradicate poverty & hunger.
This is our vision & our promise.— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) January 28, 2019
Gandhi claimed that only the Congress could take this "historic step". "We are committed to the cause of poor. Our ultimate priority is to alleviate the poor. We brought in Green Revolution and worked on food security," he said.
The Congress chief further claimed that all erstwhile governments led by his party had worked to "strengthening democracy" and providing "social security".
"You had to stand in a queue during demonetisation. We guaranteed 100-day work under MGNREGA. We introduced RTI," he said.
"Our land acquisition bill guaranteed 4 times price of land to farmers and if industrialists did not start work in 10 years, the land would go back to farmers. But Modi, BJP diluted the bill," Gandhi further added.
Gandhi further promised to increase the procurement of food crops, which in turn will lead to acceleration in the income of farmers. "Every crop grown here will go to the dining tables across the world - be it Japan or America," he said.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jan 28, 2019 05:18 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).