Income tax structure under BJP designed to loot poor: Rahul Gandhi

Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Saturday said the income tax structure under the BJP-led government at the Centre was designed to “loot the poor”.

Addressing a rally in Jharkhand’s Dhanbad, Gandhi said the BJP government favours top business houses at the cost of the poor. “The Indian tax structure is designed to loot the poor. Gautam Adani, who travels in aeroplanes pays taxes equivalent to you. Besides, the Dharavi land is being handed over to him at a cost of Rs 1 lakh crore,” he alleged.

He said that women are bearing the brunt of rising prices. “Prime Minister Narendra Modi delivers speeches and travels in seaplanes, goes inside the sea, but ultimately the poor and women bear the brunt of inflation. Modi has added goods and services tax on everything. GST is a system to steal from the poor,” Gandhi said.

He further alleged that Scheduled Tribes (STs), Scheduled Castes (SCs), and Other Backward Classes (OBCs) constitute 90 per cent of India’s population, but they are not represented in government institutions.

“We will give funds to the poor equivalent to the debt of capitalists waived by PM Modi,” Gandhi said.

He further said the BJP was slowly snatching away forests from the tribals. “We call you tribals, but the BJP calls you ‘vanvasi’ (forest dwellers). Tribal means the first owner of the country. Whereas Vanvasi means that you have no rights in the country. They are slowly taking away your forests from you. But we want that you have the first right on water, forest, and land; you should get its benefits,” he said.