The Canadian Parvasi - Issue 18

The International News Weekly india
October 27, 2017 | Toronto 10
Rahul Gandhi calls Modi's GST
a 'tsunami of tax terrorism'
Agencies
NEW DELHI: Calling
the Goods and Services
Tax a "tsunami of tax terrorism",
Congress Vice
President Rahul Gandhi
on Thursday compared
demonetisation and GST
with a double tap bullet
fired at the economy to
ensure it was dead.
In a hard-hitting attack,
Gandhi also called
Prime Minister Narendra
Modi "a person with
a small heart" and said
the economy was staring
at disaster, a "Modi-made
disaster".
"GST, as this government
has formulated it,
has already unleashed a
tsunami of tax terrorism
and it is only going to get
worse.
"Modiji and his government
have fired a
double tap at the heart
of the economy. First
notebandi... bang..., and
then GST..., bang... have
crippled our economy.
The situation of joblessness
in the country is
extremely worrying. The
government is creating
a massive army of unemployed,
which is toxic and
dangerous," Gandhi said
in his speech at the 112th
annual session of the PHD
Chamber of Commerce
followed by a questionanswer
session.
The Congress leader
said instead of admitting
they are not able to provide
jobs and are pitting
communities against each
other in a bloody rage.
"The way the regime is
working, or not working,
has led to a double tap
killing of the Indian economy.
Commandos, in hostage
situation, fire what is
called a double tap.
Two quick closelyplaced
shots are fired at
the chest to ensure that
their terrorist target is
down," he added.
"In a couple of weeks,
we will observe the 'death'
anniversary of the Rs 500
and Rs 1,000 currency
notes. November 8 is the
'barsi' (death anniversary)
of 'notebandi' -- the day
Modi personally wiped
out overnight 86 per cent
of the currency in circulation,"
Gandhi said.
"It was a move taken
without thought, without
consultation, or concern,
for its conseqences. The
Prime Minister failed to
grasp the basic concept of
the Indian economy," he
said.
"All cash is not black,
and all black is not cash.
Without understanding
this basic concept, the
Prime Minister used his
vast powers to unleash
terror on the citizens of
India, to make them stand
in queues for two months.
Many died in the process,
millions lost jobs, and
their livelihood," the Congress
leader added.
"To do all this, you
surely need someone with
a very big chest, but a
very small heart. Demonetisation
crippled micro,
small and medium enterprises,
and destroyed the
unorganised sector, forcing
workers to leave urban
employment and go
back to their villages in
search of MGNREGA (Mahatma
Gandhi National
Rural Employment Guarantee
Act) work," Gandhi
said.
The Congress leader
claimed investments in
India were at a 15-year
low.
"The growth, which
was 6.6 per cent in 2014, is
today 4.2 per cent by the
yardstick the government
is using today. Bank lending
is at its lowest in 60
years. Unemployment is
skyrocketing.
"Recent research
showed that inequality in
India is now the highest
in 100 years. We are staring
at a disaster. This is
a man-made disaster -- or
in Modiji's terminology,
an MMD or Modi-Made
Disaster."
Gandhi said public
trust in the government
was dead.
Rahul Gandhi on his marriage: Jab hogi, hogi
Continued from page 01
Vijender, who was a panelist in the session
before Gandhi, said he had seen MPs
or MLAs cutting ribbons, but never seen
them playing a game.
He asked Gandhi what will he do for
sports if he became the Prime Minister.
Vijender then said there was talk at
his home of when "Rahul bhaiya" will get
married, adding that there was a perception
that getting married after becoming
the Prime Minister will have a different
charm.
Gandhi, 47, sought to sidestep the question
about his marriage, saying "it was an
old question". But Vijender persisted amid
smiles from the audience and said the Congress
leader should reply as the people were
awaiting his answer.
"I believe in destiny -- Jab hogi, hogi
(when it happens, it happens)," Gandhi
quipped. As for politicians not interested in
sports, Gandhi said he was not in that category.
"I do exercise -- running, swimming.
I am a black belt in Aikido. I keep doing
(sports) but I do not talk about it publicly.
But in my life, sports has been, is, and will
be, very necessary," the Congress leader
said. "Normally, I do sports for one hour every
day. This is true I have not done it in the
last 3-4 months. Before that, for my whole
life, I have devoted at least an hour daily to
sports," he added.
Vijender then asked Gandhi to put out a
video on his sporting activities, saying that
people had seen him boxing and wrestling
against the government in Parliament and
that such videos will inspire others. "We
will put, we will put," Gandhi said.
Swiss tourist suffers fractured
skull as couple attacked near Agra
Continued from page 01
Reports say Clerk was left with a fractured
skull and could possibly face hearing loss. The
Swiss embassy in New Delhi confirmed the October
22 attack and said it was providing them
consular services.
The ugly attack took place when the young
couple was walking alongside a train track in
Fatehpur Sikri near Agra. Clerc was left with a
fractured skull and several bruises. Senior Superintendent
of Police Agra, Amit Pathak, said
late on Thursday evening that five persons,
including three minors, have been taken into
custody for the crime.
Sushma Swaraj sought a report from the
Uttar Pradesh government on the assault.
Minister of State for Tourism K.J. Alphons expressed
deep concern.
"You would kindly appreciate that such
incidents negatively impact our image and are
detrimental to our efforts in promoting India as
a tourism destination," Alphons told the Chief
Minister in a letter. He said a "fast and speedy
response in identifying and ensuring speedy
action including conviction of the guilty would
be reassuring" and would send a "good message
of our efforts to prevent recurrence of such incidents".
Earlier in the day, Uttar Pradesh's
Additional Director General of Police Chandra
Prakash said one person was arrested from the
Agra-Rajasthan border. He declined to reveal
the identity of the arrested person.
Police took the Swiss couple to a private
hospital in Agra where first aid was given. The
couple refused to lodge an FIR and said they
would take further treatment at Apollo Hospital
in New Delhi. But police lodged a complaint
on their own, Prakash said. "We are trying to
arrest all the four persons involved in the incident."
Adityanath said in Agra that arrests were
being made and a thorough inquiry would be
held. He said touts and anti-social elements
who bring a bad name to Agra and the country
would be firmly dealt with. Providing security
to tourists would be a top priority, he added. In
Delhi, CPI-M leader Brinda Karat wrote to the
Swiss envoy in India expressing "strong protest"
over the "failure" of the authorities to provide
minimum security to tourists in a wider
area that houses the Taj Mahal, India's biggest
tourists draw.
"As a citizen of India, I am writing to you
to express my deep regret at the shocking and
horrifying violence that two young Swiss nationals
... had to face on their trip to Agra and
Fatehpur Sikri. "It is shameful for us as Indians
that two young tourists who had gone to visit
the beautiful symbol of love should have to face
this horror. Please convey our very best wishes
for their speedy recovery," she said.
In Fatehpur Sikri area, there have been
numerous such incidents targeting innocent
tourists, but police have not stepped up vigil,
say tour guides.Condemning the assault on the
Swiss tourists, the Congress said the incident
"unmasks the ugly face of Anti-Romeo Squads"
in the state.
"This attack on the young foreign couple
unmasks the ugly face of the Anti-Romeo squad
in UP which is fully supported and patronized
by the UP government. Rather than protecting
tourists and residents of UP, the Chief Minister
is working overtime to bring ‘acche din' for
criminals and goons," Congress spokesman
Jaiveer Shergill said.