Congress leader Rahul Gandhi failed to attend a rally at Rayagada in Odisha as he was filing his nomination for the Rae Bareli Lok Sabha seat.

Rahul addressed the rally in the virtual mode and talked of five guarantees that include giving Rs 1 lakh to women per annum.

Rayagada, about 500km, is a tribal-dominated district and a known Congress belt. It is a part of Koraput Lok Sabha seat which the Congress currently holds.

Apologising to people for not being able to turn up to meet them because of the filing of his nomination papers, Rahul promised to meet them shortly, indicating that he would come on an Odisha visit. For Rahul’s visit, people turned up at the ICAR field in Rayagada’ Barijhola.

Taking a dig at the Modi government. Rahul said an attempt had been made to destroy the Constitution and the democracy itself. “Democracy and the Constitution are being attacked. The Congress party and the India Alliance are trying to protect democracy and the Constitution. Modiji, BJP and the RSS want to get rid of the Constitution from its very roots and finish democracy,” Rahul said.

Rahul also assured the people of caste census if the Congress is voted to power.

Citing that adivasis and Dalits have got everything because of the Constitution, Rahul said: “They have filled all important government posts with appointees trying to privatise the public sector, passing on the benefits to a select few multi-billionaires. The money taken by the billionaires will be given to the people of Dalit, scheduled tribes, backward classes in the country as well Odisha.”

He continued about how the Narendra Modi government had waived off debts worth over Rs 16 lakh crore of 22 billionaires. “Things have reached to such a point that 22 Indians have wealth which is equivalent to the wealth of 70 crore people.
Narendra Modi has given friends like Adani money that rightfully belongs to the country,” Rahul said.

Assuring job reservation for women, Rahul said: “We will prepare a list of poor people in the country and one woman from each such family will receive one lakh from the Centre through DBT. Every month they will receive Rs 8,500. The money will be given till the family comes out of below the poverty level.”

He also batted for the rights of tribal people. “We will guarantee them rights over jal, jamin and jungle. They are adivasis and have the first right over these things. We will protect the rights of adivasis. By calling you vanavasi (forest dwellers), they are only insulting you.”

Rahul also promised to waive off loans for farmers and guaranteed minimum support prices for agricultural produce. He also talked of the Congress’s Pehli Naukris Pakki scheme (guaranteed employment first) under which apprenticeship for one year to the unemployed youth to be given both in public and private sectors.