Rahul Gandhi more than ready to take over as Congress chief: Spokesperson

Responding to a question on Gandhi’s expected elevation next month ahead of the crucial Gujarat Assembly polls, he said the vice president had been “leading the charge” against the Narendra Modi government for the last 42 months.

“Yes, he is more than ready and, yes, he will lead the Congress party,” Surjewala said at a press conference here. The Congress Working Committee (CWC) on November 20 approved the schedule for the party president’s election. Congress sources said Gandhi was likely to be the sole candidate for the post.

Surjewala said Gandhi has been “leading the charge” against the Modi government for the last 42 months “with absolute trigger, complete dedication and total simplicity” on policies such as demonetisation and GST. “He is ready to take on the battle for the people’s rights and fight to any extent possible,” he said.

Surjewala described the Goods and Service Tax as ‘Gabbar Singh Tax’ and claimed it was hurting small traders and the informal sector. The GST, as envisioned by the Congress-led UPA Government, was a “genuine and simple tax” regime with a Constitutional cap of 18 per cent, he said.

“On the contrary, the Modi Government has destroyed India’s economy… by implementing an ill-conceived GST in an amateurish fashion,” he alleged. He said the Congress wanted the government to include petroleum products, real estate and electricity under the ambit of the GST and the “compliance burden” to be reduced.

“The complex process of form filing has brought businesses, trades and MSMEs to a grinding halt,” he claimed.