Maha Cong holds online agitation to seek central aid for poor

Amid the lockdown, Maharashtra Congress chief Balasaheb Thorat on Thursday led the partys online agitation in the state, seeking monetary help from the Centre for the economically weak in line with the Nyay income scheme earlier proposed by party leader Rahul Gandhi. The Congress agitation, christened SpeakUpIndia, tapped popular social media platforms to convey its message at the time of the coronavirus-fuelled lockdown.

State Congress leaders took to social media platforms, like YouTube, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, to ask the Narendra Modi government to provide Rs 10,000 initially to a poor family and then Rs 7,500 per month for the next six months in view of income disruption caused by the lockdown. The agitation was held following instructions of Congress president Sonia Gandhi, said Thorat, who is also a minister in the Shiv Sena-led government in Maharashtra.

He said giving the money directly to the poor, who are the worst hit by the financial crisis triggered by the more than two-month-long lockdown, will enable them to make purchases, and ultimately help revive the stuttering economy. Ahead of the Lok Sabha elections last year, Rahul Gandhi had proposed the Nyay (justice) scheme, a key poll campaign theme of his party.

Under the scheme, he had proposed that a certain amount of money will be paid to the poor per month to enable them to make purchases. The purchasing power of the poor will in turn help increase production by factories, which will further lead to creation of jobs and subsequently, remonetise the economy, Rahul Gandhi had said.

"The common man is the worst-hit by the coronavirus crisis. The one who struggles to make ends meet is left with no income source," said Thorat. What we are remembering the most at this juncture is the Nyay scheme Rahulji had proposed. We must give some amount of money to the poor, if we want to give momentum to the economy.

"Hence, the Centre must extend monetary assistance to the poor, in line with the proposed scheme, Thorat said as he took part in the protest via Facebook Live. The state revenue minister picked holes in the Centres just announced Rs 20 lakh crore special economic stimulus, claiming the package is not about spending money, but more about giving loans.

The package is of no use to the poor who need monetary help to be able to make purchases, Thorat said. He praised Congress men for helping stranded migrant workers in the state, following instructions by the party president.

Another Congress leader and Maharashtra minister Ashok Chavan seconded Thorat. I would urge the Government of India to deposit immediately the amounts suggested by the party so that they are able to survive in this situation and somehow make a living, Ashok Chavan said in a video message.

The PWD minister asked the Centre to bear the expenditure on tickets of migrant workers returning to their native states and their food arrangements. Another party leader, Energy Minister Nitin Raut, asked the Centre to provide financial assistance, and not loan, to the MSMEs.

The working days under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) should also be increased to 200, he demanded. Former Maharashtra Chief Minister and senior party leader Prithviraj Chavan asked the Centre to give a package of cash to the micro, small and medium enterprises instead of loan so that they can pay salaries to their employees.

The micro, small and medium enterprises have 30 per cent share in the countrys GDP. Hence, the government must come to the fore to help them, Prithviraj Chavan demanded. Maharashtra Congress ministers Aslam Shaikh, Satej Patil and Varsha Gaikwad, and state party spokesperson Sachin Sawant were also among the leaders who took part in the online agitation.

Sunny Valika, a Congress worker from Navi Mumbai, said the agitation was novel in true sense and helped the youth who use social media extensively to know about issues pertaining the poor. We cannot move outside due to the lockdown. Hence, it was a great idea to agitate from where we are, maintaining social distancing and at the same time, take up the cause of the poor, Valika said.