Rahul slams Modi's 'Fair & Lovely' law on black money
Our Bureau & Agencies
Digboi/Moran/Tezpur (Assam), March 31: Prime Minister rendra Modi has failed to fulfill his promise to bring back black money from abroad, and his Fince Minister Arun Jaitley brought a new law through which black money can be turned into white, Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi said on Thursday.
The Congress leader on Thursday addressed three back-to-back public rallies in the poll-bound Assam -- at Digboi, Moran and Tezpur.
"Modi ji had promised to bring back black money from foreign banks. Although he failed, the government brought a 'Fair and Lovely' law where those with black money can turn it into white by paying a minimum tax," he said.
Gandhi alleged that Vijay Mallya, who has a pending debt of around Rs.9,000 crore, met Arun Jaitley in parliament "before escaping" the country.
"Lalit Modi, who is the symbol of black money, is still outside the country and Modi ji never utters a single word on these issues," he said.
The Congress leader also slammed the central government for removing the special category status from Assam and slashing the amount of central funds to the state for various development schemes.
Stating that the Modi government also tried to curtail free rations for tea garden workers, he said: "Modi ji lives in the company of his rich industrialist friends. He wears a suit worth Rs.15 lakh and tells you his 'Mann Ki Baat'. He never listens to the 'Mann ki Baat' of these tea garden workers."
Gandhi said the RSS wants to impose its ideology across the country.
"Assam is a mini-India and there are people from different religions and cultures. If one ideology is imposed across the country, what will happen to the individual culture, religion, history and language?" he posed.
Gandhi promised to give jobs to 10 lakh youths in Assam if the Congress returns to power.
He said the government will arrange for free coaching for at least 100 poor students in each district for competitive examitions.
"We will set up at least one cold storage in each block in Assam for the benefit of farmers. Free medical treatment will be provided to people whose annual income is below Rs.2.5 lakh," he said.