MP Assembly polls: GST, demonetisation distressed small traders, says Priyanka Gandhi

Dhar: Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Monday said GST and demonetisation had severely distressed small traders and other citizens and urged them to raise their awareness levels about her party's promises and their implementation before voting in the upcoming Assembly polls.

Addressing a rally in Kukshi town in tribal-dominated Dhar in Madhya Pradesh, where Assembly polls will be held on November 17, she slammed the Narenda Modi government for its economic policies, including privatisation of state-run units to benefit industrialists.

"The (Union) government has closed public sector industries, which resulted in high unemployment. They then introduced demonetisation and the Goods and Services Tax. GST has troubled everybody, including small traders. It has resulted in inflation," she said.

"GST is applicable on everything because of which small traders face a lot of problems. It has resulted in high inflation and unemployment. People have to pay GST on everything, even on small things during festivals, which results in inflation," she claimed.

Attacking the Centre, Gandhi alleged public sector firms were being given to industrialists free of cost, be it BHEL (power sector major Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited), railways, airports, ports etc, which was causing unemployment in the country.

Pointing out to the rising prices of onions, Gandhi told the crowd at one time Prime Minister Modi would mock whether (batting legend) Sachin (Tendulkar) would score a century first or onions (scaling the Rs 100 per kilogram mark).

"Now both Virat (Kohli who scored a century in Sunday's World Cup game against South Africa) and onions have scored centuries. What do you have to say now," she said in a jibe at the PM.

Gandhi said the government had reduced the prices of LPG cylinders due to upcoming Assembly polls, and asked why they could not do it earlier despite being in power for the last 18 years.

The Shivraj Singh Chouhan government made more than 22,000 announcements during its long rule but have they fulfilled even 22 of them, she asked.

Gandhi asked people to raise their awareness levels before voting and see for themselves whether Congress governments in other states had implemented poll guarantees like providing Rs 1,500 per month to women, cylinders at Rs 500 and resumption of Old Pension Scheme.

She asked the crowd to vote for the Congress in the upcoming Assembly polls after making sure for themselves about these promises.

Votes will be counted in Madhya Pradesh on December 3.