Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Thursday reiterated his assurance that there would not be any single person in Kerala without an annual income of ₹72,000 from the day the United Democratic Front (UDF) came to power in the State.
Addressing an UDF election rally at Thuvvoor, near Wandoor, Mr. Gandhi said the UDF, if elected to power, would revolutionise the State’s economy.
“With one stroke, we will finish poverty in Kerala, we will revive the economy of Kerala, and we will give jobs to the youngsters of Kerala,” Mr. Gandhi said amid loud cheers from the crowds.
“Kerala is going to be the first State in India to have a guaranteed income for all its people. This is a revolutionary idea. We have made calculations. We are confident that this idea itself will transform the State. Every single poor person in Kerala will automatically get ₹6,000 a month, and ₹72,000 a year,” the Congress leader said.
He called upon the people to stretch their minds to imagine a State without a single person or a single bank account having less than ₹72,000 a year the day after the UDF comes to power in Kerala. “The poorest labourer, the handicapped, the jobless…. Their income will not be less than ₹72,000 a year,” he reiterated.
Mr. Gandhi said that without economy the State could not survive or develop. “Just like a car needs petrol, economy is a must for the land. The fuel of the car is petrol, and the fuel of the economy is the money in people’s hands.”
Mr. Gandhi accused the Central government of taking away that money from the people’s hands. “GST took that money out of your hands, the new farm Bill took that money out of your hands, rising prices took that money out of your hands, and increasing diesel and petrol prices took that money out of your hands. If you have no money, you don’t spend. When you don’t spend, the economy does not work,” he said.
Mr. Gandhi received rousing receptions at Areekode, Thuvoor and Nilambur. The rally at Nilambur continued late into the evening.
