Priyanka Gandhi: Will deposit Rs 8,500 in women’s accounts every month from July

NEW DELHI: Amid the ongoing Lok Sabha elections in the country, Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi on Thursday said that the INDIA alliance government, if formed, will work for the empowerment of women.

“Our sisters across the country are ready to form the INDIA Alliance government with enthusiasm. From July, Rs 8,500 will be deposited in women’s accounts every month, i.e., Rs 1 lakh annually, it will change the financial condition of every family”, she said.

Further, she emphasised that a share of government jobs will strengthen women’s power. “The Centre’s contribution to the honorarium of the Asha, anganwadi and cook sisters will be doubled. An insurance scheme of Rs 25 lakh will take you out of the quagmire of medical expenses. The situation will change”, she assured.

Earlier on Wednesday, while campaigning for her brother and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka accused the BJP of being unable to combat high inflation. “Women across the country are saying the same thing that inflation has made life difficult. It is difficult to run the household. Every household item has become out of reach. A cylinder that cost Rs 400 is now available for Rs 1200. Oil, pulses, flour, sugar, rice, vegetables — everything is extremely expensive”, she said.

She added that it is becoming difficult to bear the expenses of children’s education and medicine, adding to which he said, “Today, the public is demanding accountability and instead of answering, the Prime Minister is trying to divert attention by talking about irrelevant things, but the countrymen have understood everything. The same wooden pot does not boil again and again. This time, the public will vote on their issues and form a government that is dedicated to the common people and not just to the billionaires”.

Priyanka Gandhi also launched a scathing attack against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and said, “For the last ten years, the Prime Minister has been doing politics on the basis of religion. Now he is saying that he never did this. So what have you been doing for the last ten years? The whole country is watching what you are doing. The Prime Minister only spreads lies”.

On May 3, the Congress announced Rahul Gandhi as a candidate from Raebareli and loyalist KL Sharma from Amethi. Rahul Gandhi is a sitting MP in Kerala’s Wayanad, where he is seeking a fresh term alongside Rae Bareli. Rahul represented Amethi from 2004 until 2019. He will face Congress defector and three-time MLC Dinesh Pratap Singh of the BJP in Raebareli.

Raebareli constituency goes to the polls on May 20 in the fifth phase. In the 2019 Lok Sabha Elections, Congress leader Sonia Gandhi won the constituency, bagging 5,34,918 votes. Her closest rival, Dinesh Pratap Singh, put up a formidable challenge, gathering 3,67,740 votes. (ANI)