Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, in an address to mediapersons, urged the government to ensure package for MSMEs, money for poorest Indians, protection for migrants and preparation for lockdown exit. He refused to criticise the government for the imposition of lockdown and called for urgent financial stimulus. “We need to move forward from the situation. I will not criticise the decision to impose lockdown. We need to give money to poor now, MSMEs now. If job losses happen, it will be tsunami. Lay out strategy and the criteria. The Congress will assist.”
Experts have said that peak will come in June and July. Infections are rising. What is the Congress opinion on what should be done? According to Gandhi, “The central thing to do is now to give transparency on actions. We need to understand when we will open and what is the criteria for opening. What check boxes will be ticked? We simply cannot be continue without providing support to those who suffer from it. The government if it needs to open up has to open up by psychologically reassuring the people.”
He said that decentralisation was the need of the hour. “A massive transition is in front of us, with cooperation across the board from centre and states. View states as partners, and don’t centralise functions.”
He urged the government: “Take the idea of NYAY and start putting money into 50 per cent of India’s households. The pain has to be reduced. We have to start thinking systemically, and understand that there is a link between MSMEs and big businesses. To start the engine, we have to start fully. We need to create demand immediately. We are losing time. And more time we lose, the more our economy will suffer.”
Post Your Comments