Rahul urges Gehlot to ensure social security, slams BJP for ignoring English education

Addressing a public meeting at Alwar Malalkhera, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi gave a host of suggestions to Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot, including that the passage of the Panchayat Provisions (Extension of the Scheduled) Rules in Rajasthan. Gandhi also asked Gehlot to ensure that his government takes steps for the social security of gig economy workers.

Significantly, sources said that Gandhi has also asked the state leaders to tweak the Land Acquisition Act.

The PESA Act, which empowers Gram Sabhas to decide on tribal community properties, has been implemented in Congress-ruled states, but in Rajasthan, several aadivasi populations in districts like Udaipur, Sirohi, etc have not got the land rights. Additionally, on Monday, Gandhi also met with farmer leaders, and suggested to leaders in the Gehlot Cabinet a tweaking of the Land Acquisition Act to meet the demands of farmers.

Gandhi said that these were the two key suggestions he had heard once he started walking in Rajasthan. “These are my suggestions to Kharge ji and Gehlot ji — these two suggestions, which came to me from the people here — will help the party a lot in the future,” Gandhi said.

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Gandhi also urged Gehlot to find a solution to the lack of social security of gig economy workers.

“There is no social security or pension for gig economy workers; the government must bring in a system to extend some benefits like pension to them,” Gandhi said.

During his address, Gandhi also urged the Rajasthan Cabinet to walk among the people. “There are 30 Cabinet ministers and 33 districts, and if everyone walks around 15 kilometres every month, it will make it easy,” Gandhi said, adding that such an exercise will leave no room for error in the state at it heads to the polls next year.

Gandhi also hit out at the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for its continued push for teaching in regional languages, by ignoring English. He said that while he supports education in regional language, ignoring English education will adversely affect students.

“If you look deeply, the leaders of the BJP will ask you to learn in a regional language like Hindi or Bengali, but their own sons, including Amit Shah’s son, have been educated in English,” Gandhi said.

He added that learning in English will help students communicate with the world. “The leaders in BJP do not want you to learn English because they do not want this biscuits cycle of poverty to end. They don’t want your children to compete in US, Japan or UK,” Gandhi said.