New Delhi: in a scathing attack on Congress leader Rahul Gandhi for his remark that the NPR was a “tax on the poor”, Union Minister Prakash Javadekar on Friday termed him the “biggest liar of 2019”.
“NPR is the right step to help poor. People are appreciating that all over the country. Only few are opposing. Congress is opposing because they want illegal immigration… they see political benefit in it,” Javadekar said.
Terming Gandhi’s claim on NPR a tax on poor as “absurd”, Javadekar said, “Who can foreget Jayanti tax, coal tax, spectrum tax, Vadra tax wherein the state exchequer was fleeced left, right and centre during the UPA regime and this the reason for tagging NPR with ‘Tax’,” said the BJP leader adding that the irresponsible behavior of Rahul was only aimed at creating “political instability”.
He, however, said that the opposition especially the Congress leadership will never succeed in its nefarious design and said that the people were intelligent enough to sense the same.
Gandhi had, earlier in the day, said: “Whether it is NRC, NPR, it’s a tax on poor people. Demonetisation was a tax on poor people – go to the bank, can’t take money from your own account.”
“Poor people will have to go to officers and show their documents and give bribe. They will have to give bribe if there is a slight mistake in their names. Crores of rupees will be pulled out of the pockets of the poor and will be given to the same 15 people. This is the truth. It is an attack on the people,” Rahul Gandhi had stated.
Rubbishing Rahul Gandhi’s assertion, Javadekar said that the NPR is a pro-poor endeavor by the government to extend the benefit of all schemes at the doorsteps of rightful beneficiaries.