Congress campaign to focus on NRC, jobs

Congress on Saturday said its campaign to oust the BJP from Centre would focus on five specific issues: the poor implementation of the NRC process in Assam, allegations of corruption against the Modi government, the economic situation, agrarian distress and rising unemployment.

The Congress Working Committee (CWC), the party's top decision-making body, at a meeting chaired by party president Rahul Gandhi decided to build mass movements on the five issues across the country.

The plans for the same would be drawn up in consultation with the state leaders.

“The CWC met today. As a team, we discussed the political situation in the country & the huge opportunity for the Congress to highlight issues of corruption and failure of the government to provide jobs to our youth,” Rahul tweeted after the nearly four-hour meeting.

The CWC also decided to step up pressure on the Modi government on the Rafale deal and the bank scams that have led to the escape of businessmen such as Nirav Modi and Mehul Choksi to safe havens abroad.

Briefing reporters on the meeting, Congress' chief spokesman Randeep Singh Surjewala said the CWC expressed shock over the “complicity and connivance” of the Modi government in the escape of Choksi in the Rs 23,484-crore PNB bank scam.

“How did the central government and the Gujarat government allow Mehul Choksi to leave the country in 2018 when he was under police investigation since 2016,” asked former finance minister P Chidambaram.

The Congress is seeking to corner the Modi government on reports claiming that Choksi was granted Antiguan citizenship only after getting a clean chit from Indian authorities.

Surjewala also said that the Modi government did not act against Choksi despite the fact that the businessman had given an affidavit to the Gujarat High Court in 2016 saying he would not leave the country in a case of bank fraud against him.

Congress is also keeping the heat on the Modi government on the reported overpricing of the Rafale fighter jets.

“One of the highlights of today’s CWC meeting was Mr Antony’s brilliant description of the Rafale robbery: 1,30,000 Cr. stolen from the people of India and given to a friend who was 45,000 crore in debt,” Rahul said.