Cong govt will not tolerate atrocities on women: Rahul

If voted to power, the Congress government will adopt a zero tolerance policy on atrocities on women, party president Rahul Gandhi said on Friday.

He was addressing a gathering of women in Jaypore town in tribal dominated Koraput district of Odisha on the occasion of International Women’s day.

“On the issue of atrocities on women, our approach will be zero tolerance if voted to power”, Gandhi promised. He also participated in a question answer session with the women present who included many from the local tribal communities.

Later addressing a public gathering in the town, the Congress president also promised financial assistance to young women for their marriage.

During his interaction with the ladies present at the women’s gathering Gandhi linked the increasing atrocities on women in the country to the acute problem of unemployment which the present NDA government at the Centre had failed to address.

“One of the major reasons behind the increasing atrocities on women is the growing problem of unemployment which the present government has miserably failed to address”, the Congress president said adding that when neighbouring China was creating fifty thousand jobs in every twenty four hours, India had been able to produce only 450 jobs in the same period.

The Congress chief also lambasted Prime Minister Narendra Modi charging him of keeping silence on crimes against women involving his own party members. “A BJP MLA raped a girl in Uttar Pradesh. But the prime minister did not utter a single word”, he said insisting that crime against women had gone up considerably across the country during the last 4-5 years.

He also promised free education for girls if voted to power. “All types of education including higher and technical education will be free for girl students”, he said.

Addressing the public rally, Gandhi reiterated that if voted to power in the ensuing general elections the Congress government would take the “historic step” of providing guaranteed minimum income to the citizens.

“We have given MNREGA. We have waived the loans of the farmers. And now we are going to take the historic step of providing minimum guaranteed income to all the poor citizens. The money will directly be transferred to bank accounts. It, however, will not be only Rupees 3 per family as planned by the present NDA government. They have humiliated the poor”, the Congress president said.

He once again raised the Rafale issue at the public rally.