The Congress will hold on Thursday an online campaign to put pressure on the government to make direct cash transfer of ₹10,000 to all the families outside the income tax bracket to tide over the financial crisis that the extended lockdown has brought upon them.
The party is expecting at least 50 lakh of its workers, office-bearers and sympathisers to participate in the event. They will come live on various social media platforms simultaneously between 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. on Thursday. Its president Sonia Gandhi, former president Rahul Gandhi, party general secretary Priyanka Gandhi and all Congress Chief Ministers are expected to participate in it.
The event, general secretary (organisation) K.C. Venugopal said, was an effort to make the government listen and consider the demands made by the party. “Lakhs of migrant workers, farmers, workers in un-organised sectors, MSMEs and other daily wage earners are in grave distress. They are struggling without money, food and livelihood for over two months now. We are pained by pictures and videos of these men, women and children desperately trying to get back to the safety of their homes. The government remains insensitive and aloof,” he told The Hindu.
While the Congress had been taking relief measures at their end, an institutional intervention was essential to ameliorate the pain of all those suffering because of the extended lockdown. “Instead of providing support, the Central government continues to ignore the plight of these people and has failed to take any meaningful measures,” he said.
Congress social media in charge Rohan Gupta said the entire effort was to make a “deaf government” hear. “When lakhs of us speak out together, we hope the government will finally respond. It is essential that people are given cash in hand to restart the economy, which has completely gone bust.”