Rahul Gandhi in Madurai: Congress chief says party won't 'impose NEET' on youngsters of Tamil Nadu

Congress president Rahul Gandhi in Madurai said that his party “will not impose National Eligibility cum Entrance Test on the youngsters” of Tamil Nadu. “People appreciated our manifesto, said it represents voice of the Indian people. In our discussions during manifesto-building process, people told us about National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET). They don’t like its imposition on Tamil people. They told us of a young Tamil girl Anitha who committed suicide due to this,” ANI quoted Rahul as saying. [caption id=“attachment_6180621” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] File image of Congress president Rahul Gandhi. PTI[/caption] “If you read our manifesto, you’ll find a line in her memory. The line says, ‘we will not impose NEET on the youngsters of this state.’ It seems like a small line in the manifesto but it is actually an expression of the people of Tamil Nadu,” he further said. Earlier in Theni, Rahul had said that his party’s manifesto was not the “Mann Ki Baat of one megalomaniac” but talked about work of the nation. Addressing an election rally in this southern town in Tamil Nadu, he had claimed Congress manifesto for the Lok Sabha polls was the voice of the entire nation and he was happy that many people lauded it. “Congress manifesto is not the ‘Mann Ki Baat of one megalomaniac, this is Kaam ki Baat (a talk about work) of the nation,” he said. Describing Nyuntam Aay Yojana (NYAY) — his party’s poll promise of Minimum Income Support Scheme which envisages a payout of Rs 72,000 per year to the poorest of the poor —  as “most revolutionary”, Rahul asserted no government in the world had so far attempted such a plan. He accused the Prime Minister Narendra Modi of pursuing “negative economics” and said people’s purchasing power collapsed and it led to goods left lying in factories. As a result factories stopped producing goods and they stopped hiring people too which eventually led to unemployment, the Congress chief claimed. Repeating his allegation that Modi lied to the nation that he will give Rs 15 lakh, he said “we cannot give 15 lakhs; I have not come here to lie to you…” “Because, if we give Rs 15 lakh we will destroy the economy. But, we can give Rs 3,60,000 (through Nyay to the poor; over five years) without causing any damage to the economy,” Rahul said. He said the NYAY scheme will strengthen the economy and give people the purchasing power which would in turn kick start the economy. With inputs from PTI