'Tamil Nadu should not be ruled from Nagpur'

It is not fair that rich businessmen are not jailed for non-repayment of bank loans while poor farmers go to jail for defaulting bank loans, Gandhi said

Tamil Nadu should be ruled by the people of Tamil Nadu and DMK President M.K. Stalin will become its next Chief Minister, Congress President Rahul Gandhi declared on Friday.

Addressing an election rally here, about 260 km from Chennai, Gandhi said: "Tamil Nadu should be ruled from Tamil Nadu. Stalin will be the Chief Minister." The opposition parties in Tamil Nadu charge the Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) with remote- controlling the AIADMK government in the state.

According to Gandhi, the state should not be ruled from Nagpur -- where the Rashtriya Swyamsevak Sangh (RSS), the BJP's political mentor, is headquartered. "We will not let the people of Tamil Nadu to be led by Nagpur," Gandhi said.

According to Gandhi, when the Congress comes to power at the centre, farmers will not be jailed for non-repayment of bank loans. "It is not fair that rich businessmen are not jailed for non-repayment of bank loans while poor farmers go to jail for defaulting bank loans," Gandhi said.

"After 2019, no farmer will be put in jail for non-repayment of loan." He said the Congress government will tell the farmers in advance the Minimum Support Price (MSP) and other things so that they can plan their crops accordingly.

He promised the poor that Rs 72,000 per year will be paid into the bank account of women head of the poor family in the country under the Nyay scheme once the Congress comes to power. "Once the money gets paid into the bank account, poor people will start consuming and the economy will kickstart again."

He said the textile industry in Tiruppur and the silk industry in Kancheepuram will start booming again after being affected by the Goods and Services Tax (GST). According to him, the Congress, once if it comes to power, will fill up the 24 lakh vacant jobs in the government and 10 lakh job vacancies in Panchayats will be filled up.

Gandhi said the Congress will bring in reservation of seats in the Lok Sabha, Rajya Sabha and state assemblies for women. "Thirty-three percent of central government jobs will also be reserved for women," he added.

The Congress is fighting the Lok Sabha elections in Tamil Nadu as part of the DMK-led alliance.

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