Gumla (Jharkhand) | Congress leader Rahul Gandhi announced on Tuesday that the Agniveer scheme would be abolished if the INDIA bloc is voted to power, alleging that it was initiated by PM Narendra Modi and not by the Army.

He also promised to amend the GST and bring out a separate Sarna religious code for tribals.

"INDIA bloc will scrap the Agniveer scheme, a scheme brought by Modi and not by the Army. We do not want to differentiate between martyrs. Anyone sacrificing for the nation should be attributed martyr status, should be given pension," he said at an election rally in Jharkhand's Gumla.

"The BJP government implemented wrong GST schemes with five tax slabs. We will amend it and make one tax slab which will be minimum. We will reduce the tax burden on the poor," he said.

The former Congress chief attacked the BJP-led Centre for betraying tribals and alleged that Modi insulted President Droupadi Murmu.

"PM insulted President Murmu, a tribal, by not inviting her to the new Parliament building inauguration and Ram Temple consecration in Ayodhya," he said.

He also alleged that the saffron party is hell-bent to handover PSUs, railways, etc to industrialists.