No farmer to be jailed for loan default: Rahul

Jatara (MP): Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday said no farmer will be jailed for not repaying loan and 22 lakh youth will be provided government jobs in a year if his party comes to power at the Centre.

Hitting out at Narendra Modi, Gandhi said that after completion of half of the Lok Sabha poll process, the Prime Minister's face has "withered", and claimed the PM will lose the elections and Congress would come to power.

Addressing a rally here in Tikamgarh district of Bundelkhand region in Madhya Pradesh, Gandhi again targeted Modi over the controversial Rafale jet deal and blamed the NDA government's decisions of demonetisation and implementation of GST for "large-scale unemployment" in the country. "When the Congress comes to power in 2019, no farmer will be sent to jail for not repaying bank loans," Gandhi said, while promising to provide government jobs to 22 lakh youth in one year and recruit 10 lakh youth in panchayats. He said if the Congress comes to power, it will bring a provision of "no permission" for first three years to those starting new businesses.

"There will be no need to take any government permission for youth to run any business for initial three years," he said. Gandhi claimed the prime minister was speaking with "fear and hesitation".

"Look at Narendra Modi's face. Half of the election is over. Modi is going to be defeated, his face is withered. He is speaking with hesitation and fear. The Congress is forming the (next) government," he said.

"And remember one thing, the money he stole from our Air Force in the Rafale scam and gave Rs 30,000 crore to Ambani...action will be taken and you will see two names will come out one Anil Ambani and second Narendra Modi," he said. He said lakhs of youth lost jobs due to demonetisation and GST as production in factories stopped because of lack of demand in the market.

He said the Congress will deposit Rs 3.6 lakh in bank accounts of five crore poor families in five years, "unlike Modi who promised Rs 15 lakh to them but did not deposit a single penny".

He claimed that the party's proposed 'NYAY' poverty alleviation scheme would "jump-start" the Indian economy.

"I am not here to speak lies. Our NYAY scheme will jump start the economy. The Congress government will deposit Rs 3.6 lakh in the bank accounts of each poor family in five years," he said.

"Modi gave crores to 15 rich people of the country...and you were told to stand in queues while he termed demonetisation as a fight against black money...." Gandhi said.