Chhattisgarh: Congress Protests Over LPG Price Rise, MGNREGA Name Change
Bhupesh says Rahul Gandhi will be PM in 2029
Raipur: Former chief minister and senior Congress leader Bhupesh Baghel on Tuesday said that Leader of the Opposition (LoP) in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi will be prime minister in the 2029 parliamentary elections.
Addressing the party rally held here to protest the hike in the price of LPG cylinders and change of name of Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA), Mr. Baghel said that the growing popularity of Mr. Gandhi will lead him to become prime minister in the 2029 parliamentary elections.
He said that Mr. Gandhi is gaining public credibility for raising issues concerning the poor and deprived sections of the society, fearlessly and the BJP leadership appears apprehensive of Mr. Gandhi’s growing popularity.
“Mr. Gandhi will become prime minister in 2029”, Mr. Baghel said.
He further predicted that Congress will return to power in Chhattisgarh in the 2028 Assembly polls.
Congress was ousted from power in Chhattisgarh by the BJP in the 2023 Assembly polls.
He accused the state BJP government of having failed to fulfil the promises made to the farmers in the 2023 Assembly polls.
He raised the issue of rise in price of LPG cylinders, saying that the common men have suffered because of the price rise and non-availability of the LPG cylinders.
He also lambasted the Centre for changing the name of MGNREGA and slicing the Central share under the scheme.
AICC general secretary and in-charge of affairs of the party in Chhattisgarh, Sachin Pilot, who also addressed the rally, said that the Central share in the MGNREGA earlier was 90 percent.
But the Centre has reduced its share under the scheme after coming under pressure from some external forces.
The Centre has also compromised the interests of farmers in the Indo-US trade deal after coming under pressure from the USA, he said.
Congress leaders and workers later marched to the state Assembly to stage a protest there.
However, they were stopped midway, leading to scuffles between policemen deployed there and some Congress workers.