Monopoly Curse Destroying Small Biz: Rahul Gandhi
Govt is determined to destroy small businesses for the benefit of its favoured industrialists, Rahul Gandhi slams BJP govt
By : DC Correspondent
Update: 2025-12-17 08:45 GMT
New Delhi: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday accused the Modi government of promoting “monopoly or duopoly” across sectors and called for restoring control of the Indian economy to micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs).
In a post on his WhatsApp channel, the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha said monopoly or duopoly was a “curse for India” and alleged that the government was encouraging it in every sector and industry.
Referring to his interaction with small and medium ice cream manufacturers during the Jan Sansad (People’s Parliament), Gandhi said their grievances reflected a broader pattern of neglect of small businesses. “Talking to them made it clear that the government is determined to destroy small businesses for the benefit of its favoured industrialists,” he alleged.
Gandhi said the primary customers of small ice cream manufacturers were the poor and lower middle-class sections. He alleged that the complexity of the GST regime had made compliance difficult for small businesses. Although a special composition scheme was created to ease the burden, ice cream manufacturers were deliberately excluded from it, he claimed. He also alleged that BJP-ruled states and municipal corporations had sharply increased fees.
Due to high taxes, growing paperwork and rising fees, many small ice cream manufacturers were shutting down, Gandhi said, adding that such businesses were now barely visible even at popular tourist locations such as India Gate.
“This pattern is repeating across sectors. Only monopolists favoured by the Prime Minister and who fund the BJP survive, and in return they gain control over markets,” he alleged.
Gandhi said the country needed to break this cycle and place the economy back in the hands of MSMEs to generate employment, provide affordable and quality choices to consumers, and ensure small businesses became equal partners in national development.
In a video shared on his channel, Gandhi said the challenges faced by ice cream manufacturers were common to small and medium businesses across India. “If you want to create jobs, small and medium enterprises are where employment is generated. What Narendra Modi does is help monopolies crush them,” he alleged.
He further claimed that granting monopoly power destroyed market competition, allowing monopolists to operate without checks or accountability.