By Santosh Pathak
New Delhi, Oct 8 (IANS): All opposition parties, including the Congress, have launched the attack against the Modi government after RSS general secreatry Dattatreya Hosbale raised serious concern over poverty, rising unemployment and income inequality in the country. Lashing out at the BJP government at the Centre and the RSS, senior Congrees leader Digvijay Singh described the statement as a result of Rahul Gandhi's Bharat Jodo Yatra's success.
However, the BJP rejected the allegations of all the opposition parties, claiming that the Congress has no right to speak on this. Countering the allegations of rising inflation of the Congress, the BJP statd that the Congress should look at the rate of inflation during the tenure of the Manmohan Singh government.
In a conversation with IANS, BJP's national spokesperson and economic affairs expert Gopal Krishna Agarwal, referring to the global situation, claimed that India has the fastest growth rate in the world and the inflation rate here is also very low as compared to other countries including America and Europe.
Describing the criticism of the Congress as crocodile tears, Agarwal said that during the tenure of the Congress government, the rate of inflation was around 10 per cent and the rate of growth was also declining rapidly.
Referring to the success of the Modi government on the inflation front, he said that at present the rate of inflation in the country is around 7 per cent and the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) is trying to bring it down to 6 per cent since the RBI has to strike a balance between inflation rate and economic growth.
He also said that whenever the prices of commodities increase, the poor are hit the worst and therefore to give relief to them, the Modi government gives free ration to 80 crore people, insurance of Rs 5 lakh in Ayushman Bharat, gas subsidies and runs effective welfare schemes like 200 days' wages under MGNREGA, PM Kisan Samman Nidhi, PM Awas Yojana, the money of which goes directly into the accounts of the poor. He said that these schemes have also been appreciated by the World Bank and World Health Organization.
"As far as unemployment is concerned, it is a burning issue. But this problem did not arise as of today, while it has existed since India's Independence. Our government under the leadership of PM Narendra Modi is constantly trying to promote entrepreneurship. An assistance of more than Rs 4 lakh crore has been given. Procurement from domestic industries is being encouraged in the defence sector. Many foreign companies have been removed from the tender process," Agarwal stated.
"In many sectors including infrastructure, construction industry, logistics industry, the government is developing a policy, which will create more and more jobs. Mudra loans are being given for self-employment. Startup ecosystem is being promoted. Self-employment is the solution to the problem of unemployment and the government is working on many fronts simultaneously for the same. Along with this, the government is also going to provide government jobs to 10 lakh youth in mission mode," he said.
He claimed that the government was also working towards reducing economic inequality in the country while the crocodile tears of the Congress were supposedly distorting the reality.
Referring to the government's effort to continuously reduce the gap between the rich and the poor in the country, Agarwal said that the gap between the poor and the rich widens due to corruption and leakages in tax collection and the government has successfully controlled both.
He said that on one hand, while GST and direct tax collection is increasing, efforts are being made to reduce this gap by passing on the benefits of various welfare schemes directly into the accounts of the beneficiaries.