MUMBA : Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi today said that the redevelopment of Dharavi will be decided by the stakeholders living and working there and not by one billionaire, Adani.
He supported the stand of Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray who had said that once the MVA government is formed, the Dharavi tender will be cancelled.
Addressing a press conference on the last day of the election campaign here today, Gandhi also demonstrated a ‘safe’ (cash chest), while explaining Modi’s slogan “ek hain toh safe hain”, taking out a poster of Adani and Modi along with a map of Dharavi. He remarked, Adani with Modi is always safe. He said, Modi’s slogan of ‘ek hain toh safe hain’ fits Modi-Adani duo the most.
The senior Congress leader said that everyone knows about the tendering process involving Adani and how ED, CBI and IT are used to help him. He said, Prime Minister Narendra Modi was handing over everything to a single man. He said, whether it is the Mumbai airport, ports, defence industry and now the Dharavi land – everything was given to a single person.
Gandhi said, these elections were based on ideology. He said, while on the one hand the BJP was protecting and safeguarding the interests of a single billionaire, Congress was working for the poor, farmers, unemployed youth and women.
The Leader of Opposition also referred to projects worth Rs seven lakh crores, which the BJP shifted out of Maharashtra thus denying jobs to about five lakh youths of the state.
He reiterated five guarantees for the people of Maharashtra including Rs 3000 monthly cash assistance for women, free bus travel facility to them, loan waiver up to Rs 3 lakhs for farmers, Rs 7000 per quintal MSP for soyabeen, constitution of fair price committee for onion farmers, fair MSP for cotton farmers, Rs 4000 monthly unemployment stipend for the unemployed, Rs 25 lakhs health insurance cover and the caste census.
Gandhi reaffirmed his commitment to caste census saying about 50 percent OBCs, 15 percent Dalits and 8 percent Adivasis were not getting their due. He also reiterated that the 50 percent ceiling on the reservations will be removed.
Congress general secretary in charge organisation KC Venugopal, general secretary in charge Maharashtra Ramesh Chennithala, former Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, Chairman of the Media and Publicity in AICC Pawan Khera and Mumbai Regional Congress Committee President Varsha Gaikwad were also present during the press conference.
