The Congress on Friday said state governments had for the first time been compelled to assist people in fighting savagely rising prices caused by the Centre.

Addressing a public rally in Rajasthan’s Dausa, Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra said: “Aaj naubat ye aa gayi hai ki rajya sarkar ko rahat camp lagani pad rahi hai kendra ki mahngayi se logon ko bachane ke liye (The situation has come to such a pass that the state government has to organise relief camps to protect the people from high prices caused by the Centre).”

Priyanka painted a grim picture, arguing that people were unable to buy basic items because of dangerously rising prices at a time when unemployment was at a 45-year peak and incomes had fallen across the board.

“Our state governments are trying to extract you from the miserable situation. You know your electricity bills are rising because Adani was inflating coal prices? And the government protected him instead of protecting you.”

The Congress-run Rajasthan government has for the past few months been holding “Mahngayi Rahat Camps” in each district of the state, apart from mobile vans reaching out to villages, to distribute 10 guarantee cards among people. The guarantee cards cover benefits from various welfare schemes, from health insurance up to Rs 25 lakh to gas cylinders for Rs 500 each, and 100 units of free electricity. The government also gives a free food kit with pulses, sugar, edible oil, salt and spices to supplement the free wheat and rice that they get.

Though other Congress-ruled states haven’t held such relief camps, they do offer cooking gas cylinders for Rs 500 apiece and cash assistance to women to ease their financial burden. While Prime Minister Narendra Modi has described the “freebies” as dangerous for the economy, Priyanka said: “Life is difficult, a daily struggle for survival. What do people expect from the government? A helping hand, efforts to ease their burden, solutions to their problems and a brighter future for their children.”

She added: “A true leader looks at the present and the future instead of constantly delving into the past. A true leader is committed to solve your problems. He doesn’t make conference halls for Rs 27,000 crore, doesn’t buy planes for Rs 8,000 crore, doesn’t spend on projects for his glory and ego. He doesn’t say there is no money for waiving off farmers’ loans, no money for employees’ pension. Now all the national assets are being handed over to crony capitalists. Public sector units are being sold. The policy is — gareebon se kheechna, udyogpatiyon ko seechna (To snatch from the poor to feed the industrialists).”

She warned the voters against leaders who come at election time to exploit emotions and divert attention from real concerns by talking about irrelevant issues. Pointing to the welfare schemes in Rajasthan that benefit every section of society, Priyanka said: “Your chief minister Ashok Gehlot has worked to make your life better.” Gehlot too asked the Prime Minister to introduce schemes to create a robust social security system for the people across the country.

Rahul Gandhi also dwelt on the party’s welfare agenda while addressing two rallies in Telangana on the third day of his stay in the state.

“Telangana was created to fulfill people’s aspirations but the voice of the people is not reflected in the governance here. K. Chandrashekhar Rao, who is the most corrupt chief minister in the country, has behaved like an emperor. The entire money, land, liquor are in the control of the KCR family. People have no role in the state,” he said.

Cautioning people against the “tacit understanding” between the BJP and the BRS and AIMIM, Rahul drew attention to the promises the Congress has made for the people of the state — Rs 2,500 to every woman every month, old-age pension of Rs 4,000, a gas cylinder for Rs 500, free bus travel for women, 200 units of free electricity, health insurance up to Rs 10 lakh, Rs 15,000 per year to farmers as cash assistance and Rs 12,000 to agriculture workers.

The ruling BRS too has a strong welfare agenda. They have promised to provide gas cylinders for Rs 400 apiece to poor women, apart from increasing the cash assistance to women beneficiaries to Rs 3,000 per month, though not to all as promised by the Congress.

The BRS has declared that the monthly pension to senior citizens and widows will be increased to Rs 5,000 from the existing Rs 3,016. All BPL families will be given life insurance cover of Rs 5 lakh.