Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Saturday promised twelve guarantees ahead of the Haryana Assembly election and said that the Congress will end the “decade of pain” if voted to power in the state.

“It is our resolve to fulfil the hopes, aspirations and dreams of every Haryana resident,” Gandhi said in a social media post on X.

Gandhi listed 12 guarantees including two lakh permanent jobs; drug-free Haryana; free treatment up to Rs 25 lakh; women Rs 2,000/month; gas cylinder for Rs 500; 100-yard plot to the poor; two-room house at a cost of Rs 3.5 lakh; old age, widow and disabled pension of Rs 6,000;  Old Pension Scheme will be restored; 300 units of free electricity; MSP guaranteed to farmers, immediate crop compensation and caste census, creamy layer limit Rs 10 lakh.  

“In a decade, the BJP snatched away Haryana’s prosperity, dreams and power,” the Congress leader said.

Haryana Congress rolled out its detailed poll manifesto for the October 5 single-phase Assembly elections in the presence of state Congress chief Udai Bhan, Leader of Opposition Bhupinder Singh Hooda and former Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot among other leaders present on the occasion of the manifesto launch.

Slamming the BJP over several issues, Gandhi said that Agniveer snatched away the aspirations of patriotic youth, unemployment snatched away the happiness of families and inflation snatched away the self-reliance of women.

He pointed out that BJP tried to snatch the rights of farmers by bringing black laws, and through demonetisation and wrong GST, they snatched away the profits of lakhs of small traders.

“To benefit his chosen ‘friends’ he even snatched away the self-respect of Haryana,” he said.

“From savings to health, from protection of rights to social security, employment opportunities abound, every family is happy and cheerful – this is Congress’ guarantee,” the former Congress chief said.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday asserted that the people in Jammu and Kashmir are looking forward to a government free of corruption, terrorism and separatism for peace and a better future for their children.

Addressing an election rally in support of BJP candidates at M A M Stadium, he said the Assembly election has given the people of Jammu a historic opportunity to decide the next government.

“They need to seize this moment and choose the BJP,” Modi said.

“There has been a massive voter turnout in the first two phases of the election. The BJP will certainly form its first government with an absolute majority in Jammu and Kashmir,” he said.

At an election rally in Jammu, he said the biggest responsibility for the destruction of this generation lies with the Congress party. Since Independence, Congress’ wrong policies have only brought destruction, he added.

Hitting out at Congress, PM Modi said: “A large part of Jammu is connected to the border. Remember the time when firing from across the border was a daily thing. Breaking news would run every day. Firing used to take place from the other side and Congress would wave white flags. But when the BJP government responded to ‘Goli’ (bullets) with ‘Gola’ (artillery shells), the other side was taken aback. You will recall that on the night of September 28, 2016, surgical strikes took place. India showed the world that this is a new India, an India that can strike within enemy territory.”

This was the Prime Minister’s third visit to Jammu and Kashmir and fourth election rally in a fortnight.

He addressed an election rally in Doda district on September 14, four days before the first phase of elections, and two more rallies in Srinagar and Katra on September 19 in the run-up to the second phase of elections.

The high-pitch campaigning for the last 40 assembly segments in the seven districts — 24 in the Jammu region and 16 in Kashmir — will end on Sunday evening.

Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Friday said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s monopoly model has taken away jobs in the country, devastated MSMEs and deprived people of opportunity.

Gandhi stressed the need for simplifying the Goods and Services Tax (GST) and opening up the banking system to small businesses to promote job creation.

“Modi ji’s monopoly model’ has taken away jobs, devastated MSMEs and deprived people of opportunity,” the senior Congress leader said.

The former Congress chief said that the systematic attack on small and medium industries through incompetent policies like a bad GST and demonetisation has turned India from a producing economy to a consuming one. “At this rate, we can neither compete with China nor ensure prosperity for all Indians,” he said, adding that India deserves better.

“The frustration in the eyes of a young start-up owner from Jammu and Kashmir reflects the struggles of most entrepreneurs and small-business owners in India,” Gandhi said in his post on X while sharing a video of the “Dogri Dham with RG” event hosted by the All India Professionals’ Congress (AIPC) in Jammu on Wednesday.

“We must simplify GST and open up the banking system to small businesses to promote widespread opportunity and job creation,” Gandhi said.

During the event, Gandhi outlined several key policy proposals aimed at boosting the local economy, including improved access to capital for micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs), export incentives and measures to reduce tax-related burdens on businesses.

In the video posted by Gandhi, he is seen telling the gathering that the single-biggest reason for unemployment is that the basic structure of employment, which is small and medium businesses, is “under severe attack from five to 10 really big monopolies”.

The event attracted 328 participants, with one-third representing business owners and a half comprising private sector professionals, PTI reported.

The Rae Bareli MP participated in a candid question-and-answer session during the event, where the attendees highlighted specific challenges facing businesses in the region.