“When Rahul Gandhi as Congress president, he would say anything and speak lies all the time. Now he is no longer president but continues to speak lies
New Delhi: On Friday Congress leader Rahul Gandhi called the National Population Register (NPR) a tax on the poor, the ruling BJP government hit back by dubbing him the “biggest liar of the year” for the statement that it said had “embarrassed his own party and family”.
Union minister Prakash Javadekar accused the Congress of trying to fan instability in India and suggested that people supported the government on the new Citizenship Amendment Act and NPR.
“The NPR does not involve any monetary transaction and its data is used to recognize the poor so that government welfare schemes can reach targeted people,” Javadekar said, adding that a similar exercise had been carried out in 2010 too.
“When Rahul Gandhi as Congress president, he would say anything and speak lies all the time. Now he is no longer president but continues to speak lies. If there were a category of the liar of the year, he would be its recipient. His statement used to embarrass his family. Gandhi’s lies now embarrass his own party and entire India,” Javadekar said.
Earlier today, Rahul Gandhi had called the NPR and National Register of Citizens (NRC) a “tax on poor people”.
“Whether it is NRC, NPR basically it’s a tax on poor people. Similarly, demonetization was also a tax on poor people – go to the bank, can’t take money from your own account,” Gandhi said, speaking to media after the opening of a National Tribal Dance Festival at Raipur.
“Poor people will have to go to officers and show their documents and give bribe. They will have to give a bribe if there is a slight mistake in their names. Crores of rupees will be taken out of the pockets of the poor and will be given to the same 15 people. This is the reality. It is a strike on the people,” Gandhi said.
But PM Narendra Modi “can’t understand this and the nation’s time is being wasted,” said Gandhi.
Earlier this week, the NPR is sanctioned by the central government, is seen by critics to be a precursor to the NRC, an exercise to recognize illegal migrants. Activists, opposition parties and students agitating across India fear that the NRC, along with the new CAA will be used as a weapon to target Muslims.
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