Congress To Hold Online Agitation Today Demanding Aid For Poor

The agitation, with hashtag "SpeakUpIndia", will be held online from 11 am to 2 pm. (Representational)

The Congress will on Thursday hold an agitation through social media demanding monetary aid from the Centre for people from the unorganised sector in line with the "Nyay" scheme proposed by the party leader Rahul Gandhi, Maharashtra minister Balasaheb Thorat has said.

Mr Thorat, who heads the state Congress unit, said workers of the party will take part in the agitation through social media platforms like YouTube, Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

He said a demand will be raised seeking the initial aid of Rs 10,000 for the poor and then Rs 7,500 per month for the next six months.

The agitation, with hashtag "SpeakUpIndia", will be held online from 11 am to 2 pm on Thursday, he added.

Ahead of the Lok Sabha elections held last year, Rahul Gandhi had advocated implementation of the "Nyay" scheme proposing that a certain amount of money will be paid to the poor per month to enable them to make purchases.

The increased purchasing power of the poor will in turn help remonetise the economy, the Congress leader had said.

"We cannot go outside, on the streets now (due to the lockdown). Hence, we will be staging this agitation online tomorrow for those who are hit the worst by the lockdown.

"You have to take part in the agitation via YouTube, Twitter, Instagram, Facebook," Mr Thorat said during an online interaction.

He said the Centre's Rs 20 lakh crore special economic package is "more of offering loans than spending money to help the people hit by lockdown".

"The economy will pick momentum only when the poor have money in hand to spend. So, the Centre should offer money in line with the Nyay scheme. This will in turn boost the economy," he added.

Mr Thorat said 50 lakh workers of the Congress are expected to take part in the agitation across the country.