Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Thursday accused the Union government of aiding crony capitalism, saying that Prime Minister Narendra Modi was running the country on a "hum do, hamare do" (we two, our two) principle.
"You all must remember the saying we used for family planning, — hum do, hamare do (We two and ours two), but just like Corona has returned in another form, this slogan too has made a comeback. Today, four people run the country — hum do, hamare do,” he said in the Lok Sabha during a discussion on the Budget.
When some members asked him to name the four, Rahul said, "everyone knows them".
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"This principle (hum do, hamare do) has been in play in demonetisation, Goods and Services tax, then came Covid. Migrant workers pleaded for a bus or train ticket to return home but were told to walk back. Most recently, the three farm laws passed in September that have had the farmers across the country up in arms," he said.
Interrupting Gandhi’s speech, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Prahlad Joshi got up and raised a point of order and he himself ended up taking Ambani and Adani’s name.
“He is claiming that 40 per cent of the groceries and other vegetables, they are kept in Adanis and Ambanis. Let him prove it, he should place it on the table,” Joshi said.
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To this, members from the opposition camp retorted saying, “He has taken the names himself.”
The former Congress president said that the NDA government was ensuring the well-being of only a few rich people close to those in power.
Criticising the government for bringing in the farm laws, Rahul said, "Intent of the first law is to give one friend the right to have all crops of India. Who'll be at loss? 'Thelawalas', small businessmen and those working in the mandis."
"The content of the second law is that big businessmen can store as much food grains, fruits and vegetables as they want. They can hoard as much as they want," he said.
Rahul said that the third law will not allow a farmer to go to the court when he goes before the biggest businessman of India to demand the right price for his crops.
"The new farm laws will destroy India's food security system and will hurt the rural economy," he said.
Lending his support to the ongoing farmers' protests, he said that it was not an agitation of only farmers but a movement of the country and the government would have to repeal the laws.