GST and note ban were reasons for shutting down garment factories, Rahul Gandhi said. (File)
Congress President Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday alleged that 90 per cent of the money deposited in banks was going into the hands of 15 rich industrialists.
"...they get all money. The small and middle-sized factories do not get money," Mr Gandhi said in an interaction with women employees of garment industry in Bengaluru.
"Nirav Modi (diamantaire) has not given jobs to anybody. He pocketed Rs 35,000 crore and ran away from the country. This money would have been given to small and middle-sized factories like yours. Your factory could have then given jobs to a thousand people," Mr Gandhi said.
He said mining baron Reddy brothers also stole Rs 35,000 crore which could have created another thousand jobs.
Mr Gandhi said many small garment factories have shifted to Bangladesh because they could not face outside competition due to deprivation of subsidy cover to them.
GST and note ban were other reasons for shutting down garment factories, Mr Gandhi said.
He said jobs are the biggest problem facing India and the Congress party has promised in its manifesto to give a crore jobs in five years if it comes back to power in Karnataka.
The small and middle-sized factories have potential to create more jobs and hence, they should be given full support, he said.
Mr Gandhi said the laws made by BJP and NDA reduced the competitiveness against China and Bangladesh, and therefore, it is necessary to make the lives of people easy to defeat these neighbouring countries.
On Aadhaar, Mr Gandhi said the Congress had brought Aadhaar cards to make the lives of people easy, but NDA looks at it as amechanism for control and monitoring.
Mr Gandhi said Congress would reduce Aadhaar-related problems by changing laws when they come back to power at the centre.
"The Congress is against the present form of Aadhaar because it is creating problems for people," he added.