Daijiworld Media Network - New Delhi

New Delhi, Sep 4: BJP MP Sambit Patra launched a fierce attack on the Congress party on Thursday, accusing it of squandering 75 years of India’s governance with hollow slogans like “Garibi Hatao” and failing to deliver real reforms.

Speaking at a press conference at BJP headquarters, Patra traced Congress’s alleged failures from Jawaharlal Nehru to Sonia Gandhi, calling their legacy “a story of missed opportunities and empty promises.” He charged that despite decades in power, Congress “did nothing to remove poverty.”

Patra remarked, “Nehru, Indira Gandhi, Rajiv Gandhi, and later Sonia Gandhi as a shadow Prime Minister — none of them delivered. Rahul Gandhi hasn’t been given a chance by the people yet.”

He accused Congress of opposing positive developments, saying, “Whenever something good happens in the country, Congress finds a reason to mourn.”

Highlighting the Modi government’s economic progress, Patra focused on the Goods and Services Tax (GST) reforms, pointing out Congress’s failure to implement a unified tax system despite having the chance.

“They had the opportunity to bring GST and simplify taxes, but all they gave was the slogan ‘Garibi Hatao,’” he said.

Patra welcomed the recent GST rate cuts announced on Thursday, emphasizing their benefits to households starting September 22, coinciding with Navratri.

He listed essential goods like rice, wheat, milk products, medicines, healthcare services, farm products, tractor parts, bicycles, toothpaste, and electronics as items that would become cheaper.

Patra described reductions in health and insurance premiums as the “biggest leap,” a reform that will ease burdens on patients and families.

Calling the reform a “bundle of happiness,” he concluded with the slogan, “Modi hai toh mumkin hai.”