Maha Polls: Govt Speaks Of Article 370, Moon Mission But Silent On Real Problems Of Country: Rahul

New Delhi: Congress President Rahul Gandhi on Sunday hit the campaign trail, after an interval of about five months post the Lok Sabha debacle of Congress. Gandhi trained guns at the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party taking up the issue of economic slowdown and unemployment. Gandhi said that the party is using moon mission, Article 370 and other issues to distract people from the real issues of the country. He said that the "Made in China" policy is killing jobs of Indian youth. Addressing his maiden poll rally for the October 21 Maharashtra Assembly elections in the parched and backward Marathwada region, he said that the county is witnessing the maximum employment in the past four decades, but there are no jobs. "The government is talking about 'Make In India', but only Chinese industries have swamped India, which is killing jobs in this country. The worried youth have no hopes for the future," Gandhi said. On Prime Minister Narendra Modi's meeting last weekend with Chinese President Xi Jinping, Gandhi demanded: "When they were having tea and snacks the other day, did the PM ask him about the aggression in Doklam? No!" On the economic situation, the Congress leader said that the after the demonetization of November 2016 followed by Goods & Services Tax, the entire country's economy is in shambles, ranging from automobiles to textiles and diamonds to small businesses with over 2,000 factories shutting down in Maharashtra alone, while "thieves" like Nirav Modi and Mehul Choksi have looted and fled the country. Gandhi warned that the current economic status of the nation is "just the beginning" and predicted dire consequences in the coming six-seven months for the economy. "You go anywhere in the country... People only talk about joblessness, farmland crises, the economy... Where are the promised 'acchhe din'? They have not come. After demonetisation, nobody knows how much black money was recovered, but only the poor, and honest masses suffered," he said. While the farmers continue to suffer, he alleged that in the past few years, the government has cleared off bad loans of around 15 top industrialists to the tune of Rs 5.50 lakh-crore in past few years. Besides, the government also gave a "Diwali gift" of tax benefits to the rich industrialists worth Rs 1.45 lakh crore last month, but there were no similar concessions for the suffering farmers, and the government could not provide barely Rs 35,000 crore for rural jobs guarantee scheme which is a boon for the rural poor, Gandhi added. "In the past many years, the country has been built and prospered because of the contributions made by people from all castes and communities. But the present government is resorting to 'divisive tactics' which will not work and drag down the nation's progress," he alleged. "However, instead of concentrating or debating on these burning issues, the government is busy showing people how the Indian Chandrayaan rocket was sent to the moon, Article 370 in Jammu & Kashmir, Pakistan, China, Japan, Korea, et al... But, remember, rockets will not help fill up the stomachs of the hungry millions," Gandhi said. Gandhi called for a return to the Congress "which lives in the soul of Maharashtra", adding the party wouldn't promise the moon, but make down-to-earth promises which it would sincerely fulfill for the peoples' welfare in the state. The Congress leader is slated to address two more rallies in Chandivali and Dharavi in suburban and south Mumbai, respectively, later on Sunday.