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‘Curse for India’: Rahul Gandhi alleges Modi government creating monopolies in all sectors
Accusing the Narendra Modi government of creating a monopoly or duopoly in every sector, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday called for putting the reins of India's economy in the hands of micro, small and medium enterprises.
“Monopoly or duopoly is a curse for India – and the Modi government has been doing exactly this in every sector, every industry,” Gandhi said in a post on his WhatsApp channel.
The leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha stated that he recently met a delegation of small and medium-sized ice cream manufacturers.
“Talking to them and listening to their problems made it clear that the government is determined to destroy small businesses for the benefit of its favoured industrialists,” added Gandhi.
He noted that there are “thousands of small ice cream manufacturers” in the country, employing “millions of people”. Their customers are the poor and lower-middle-class families, the Congress leader said.
Gandhi alleged that the Goods and Services Tax system is so complex that its burden “becomes unbearable” on MSMEs.
“This is why a special ‘composition scheme' was created for small businesses, but the BJP government deliberately excluded ice cream from this scheme,” he said.
The GST system took effect in July 2017, replacing several indirect taxes such as the Value Added Tax and the Central Excise Duty.
Under the composition schemes, businesses with a turnover of less than Rs 1.5 crore can pay GST at a fixed rate.
“This story is being repeated in every sector,” the Congress leader claimed. “Only the prime minister's favoured monopolists, who fund the BJP, survive – and in return, they receive a complete monopoly over the market.”
Gandhi said that putting the reins of India's economy “firmly in the hands of MSMEs” will ensure that young citizens get jobs, “the public gets affordable and quality options, and small businesses can become equal partners in the country's progress”.
Gandhi had questioned the government on the creation of monopolies on December 5 as well, in the context of large-scale disruptions in the operations of the airline IndiGo.
“Once again, it's ordinary Indians who pay the price - in delays, cancellations and helplessness,” Gandhi said on social media. “India deserves fair competition in every sector, not match-fixing monopolies.”
Air travel had been severely affected earlier this month, when a shortage of pilots and crew forced IndiGo to cancel or delay hundreds of flights. The disruption also pushed fares to unusually high levels on several routes.
The disruptions began amid the rollout of stricter work hour norms introduced in November. The revised rostering norms, issued by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation in January 2024 after concerns about pilot fatigue, were meant to take effect on June 1.
However, airlines asked for delayed implementation because of staffing shortages and operational challenges, and the key changes were eventually introduced on November 1.
The new rules required longer weekly rest, restricted night landings, extended the definition of night hours and limited consecutive night duties.
IndiGo used to operate about 2,300 flights daily and holds about 60% of India's domestic civil aviation market, making it the country's largest airline.
Source: Scroll
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