New Delhi, Oct 26 (TNN): Stepping up his attack on the Modi government over the devastating impact of demonetisation and GST, Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi on Thursday said the people's trust in the ruling party is dead due to its leader's "very big chest and very small heart."
"Trust in this government is dead. PM Modi and the government are convinced every single person is a thief. One develops trust by listening to each other. Today there is no one in the government who is ready to listen to the pain of our people," Rahul said.
He was addressing a gathering of small and medium enterprise owners at the PHD Chamber in the national capital. Terming the economic downturn and rise in unemployment as a "Modi-made disaster", the Gandhi scion slammed the Centre for pretending "everything was fine" when the economy was in shambles.
"Inequality in India is highest in 100 years. This is all MMD - 'Modi Made Disaster'. Businesses are drowning, but Mr Jaitley has the nerve to go on TV every other day saying things are just fine," Rahul charged.
Lashing out at PM Modi over the implementation of note ban, as a result of which millions of Indians had to stand in queues in front of banks, racing from one ATM to another, losing their jobs, and even dying in the process, the Congress leader said the decision had unleashed terror in the hearts of people.
"All cash is not black and all black is not cash. Without understanding this basic concept, the government unleashed terror over the citizens of India. To do that, you need someone with a very big chest and a very small heart," he said.
He also vilified GST for unleashing a "tsunami of tax terrorism", which combined with the adverse effects of demonetisation sent the country's economy into a downward spiral that it is yet to recover from.
"PM Modi fired double tap - two quickly, close shots (Demonetisation, GST) to ensure the target is down, which crippled our economy," he said.
This state of affairs can be remedied by the Congress, Rahul claimed, even as he admitted to the party's shortcomings in governance while it had been in power. The party's vision is to involve small and medium enterprises to revive the economy chart a new growth trajectory for India.
"Start Up India cannot be accompanied by Shut Up India. It is imperative for government to listen to you, trust you, believe in you," he told the gathering.
Addressing the issue of unemployment, Rahul claimed that the NDA government has created a toxic environment for the country's youth.
"China outperforms us in creation of jobs. Every day, China creates 50,000 jobs, while India creates only 450. No amount of growth is good enough if it's not accompanied by creation of jobs," he said.