First step in the right direction, says Rahul

But Congress hopes that the government will offer more

27/03/2020, SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT,NEW DELHI

The Congress cautiously welcomed the ₹1.7-lakh crore package announced by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman. Former Congress president Rahul Gandhi called it the “first” step in the right direction, but criticised the government for offering an insufficient cash transfer.

In a series of tweets, former Union Finance Minister P. Chidambaram called it a “modest plan” and hoped that the government would realise that it should do more.

“The plan does not put enough cash in the pockets of the poor. Some sections have been left out altogether,” he said. “You will notice that suggestions like help to tenant farmers and destitute, maintaining current levels of employment and wages, tax deferment, EMI deferment, GST rate cut, etc. have not been addressed. Let’s hope there will be a Plan II shortly,” he said. Congress chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala pointed to many “lapses” in the package. He flagged the need for declaring grain procurement an essential service.

“If the farmer is to delay harvesting till April 14, he will stand to lose 40% of the crop. A loss from which he will never recover,” he said.

Paltry sum

The one-time cash help of ₹1,500 spread over three months to 20.4 crore women having Jan Dhan Yojana accounts was a paltry sum, he said. The Congress demanded waiver of all EMIs and the interest thereof for all salaried class up to June 30.

CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury said the package was inadequate and missed out on migrant workers. He said if the government could airlift Indians from foreign shores, it should have given these workers food and shelter or transport to their home States. He also criticised the government for offering just one kg of pulses a family.

He said the government had uprooted the lives of people, despite a warning two months ago.

CPI general secretary D. Raja said the package had ignored the poorest of the poor.