Rahul Gandhi, while campaigning in Himachal Pradesh, employed Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s penchant for selfies to repeat his assertion that the premier’s “Make in India” mission has gone bust. “When you take a selfie, you’re helping the youth of China, not India,” the Congress Vice-President said in elaboration of his claim that while China is creating jobs with manufacturing, India is leaving its youth unemployed.
Last week, while campaigning in Gujarat, which votes a month after Himachal Pradesh, Mr Gandhi asked the audience to flip over their cellphones. “Does it say Made in India or Made in China?” he asked. “Each time you push a button on your phone, a young person in China gets a job,” he said, claiming that while China’s government creates 50,000 jobs, India delivers just 450 every 24 hours.
Himachal Pradesh, which is currently held by Mr Gandhi’s party, votes on Thursday for its next government. Gujarat, which has been led by the BJP for 22 years, votes on December 9 and 14. Results for both states will be counted on December 18.
Mr Gandhi has been focusing in both states on attacking Prime Minister Modi for the twin reforms of demonetization and the new national Goods and Services Tax or GST. While acknowledging the latter as an important step in furthering the economy, he has said the implementation of the GST was chaotic and has left lakhs of small traders hurting on account of complex tax slabs and an over-elaborate system of filing returns.
The PM in all his speeches has defended his year-old sudden ban on high-denomination notes and GST as bedrocks of economic reform.
The opposition plans to observe Wedneday, the first anniversary of demonetization, as “Black Day” with rallies across the country. The PM has said only those who do not support the fight against corruption find fault with his notes ban. He singled out Mr Gandhi’s father, Rajiv, and grandmother Indira, for reneging on their duty to fight graft during their terms as premiers.
