Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Monday alleged that the policies of the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led Central government have “broken the backbone” of small businesses and farmers while benefitting selected businessmen.

Rahul Gandhi’s remarks came while he was addressing a gathering in Maharashtra after the Bharat Jodo Yatra entered its Maharashtra leg on Monday evening on its 61st day of the march. He took jibe at the Centre over unemployment and asserted that the country cannot give employment to its youth.

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“No force can stop the ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’ in between. The yatra will only stop in J-K’s Srinagar and we will hoist the tricolour there. The target of this yatra is to unite India and also to raise voice against the hatred, anger and violence that are being spread across the country. Unemployment is increasing in the country. PM Modi’s wrong policies like demonetisation, GST, have broken small businesses, farmers who were the backbone of employment. The truth of India is that the country cannot give employment to its youth,” he said.

Making a direct attack on the Prime Minister, Rahul alleged that PM does not talk about inflation, the Wayanad MP further claimed that the government extends all the profit to a handful of people.

“The Prime Minister earlier used to complain about the price of gas cylinders becoming Rs 400, today it is more. But he does not complain today. Earlier he used to talk about diesel and petrol, today the price of petrol is over Rs 100, but he does not talk about it. The government extends all the profit to selected two-three people. We are on the roads for such issues,” he said.

Meanwhile, taking to Twitter, Rahul Gandhi said, “Black money did not come, only poverty came. Economy does not become cashless instead weakened. Terrorism did not end. Crores of small businesses and jobs were lost during demonetisation. The ‘Raja’ did the DeMo-lition of the economy with the promise of ’50 days’.”

After covering parts of Kerala, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Telangana, the yatra has now, entered Maharashtra on Monday at Madnur Naka in Degloor of Nanded district.

In Maharashtra, the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and Shiv Sena (Thackeray faction) are also going to participate in the yatra, adding to its importance.

(With inputs from ANI)