Bharatiya Janata Party has mocked at the promise Congress Chief Rahul Gandhi made on Monday to provide Rs 72,000 as a minimum annual income to the poorest 20 per cent of the Indian population if masses of the country elect his party to the power.
Addressing a press conference, the Congress Chief said he had studied the fiscal implications of the scheme and it has been discussed with renowned economists and policy makers before making an 'election promise'.
This move will benefit 50 million families and 250 million individuals directly, said Mr Gandhi.
"Final assault on poverty has begun. We will wipe out poverty from the country," he said.
"It is an extremely powerful, ground-breaking and well-thought through idea. We have consulted many economists on the scheme. People have suffered in the last five years and we are going to give justice to them," he added.
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Mocking Congress at their promise, BJP leader Ram Madhav said, "If you are sure about your defeat, you can promise moon. Who takes it seriously? Already under different schemes poor families get much more support. Is it in addition to those schemes or they all will be subsumed in it?"
Also BJP took to Twitter after Gandhi's announcement to post that the figure of Indians below the poverty line had fallen to 5 percent of the total population as compared to a 22 percent figure in the Congress' regime.
Last month, in the interim budget, BJP had also promised a direct benefit transfer to the small and marginal farmers as a relief measure.