The BJP on Friday accused Congress leader Rahul Gandhi of speaking lie on National Population Register (NPR) and said he is the candidate for 2019 'lie of the year.
Addressing a press conference here, BJP leader Prakash Javadekar alleged that imposing taxes was the culture of Congress.
"When he was the Congress president and today when he is not, Rahul Gandhi has continued to lie. He is a candidate for the 'lie of the year' 2019. Earlier, just a family was troubled by his lies but now the whole Congress and people are troubled over it," Javadekar said.
He said Gandhi terming NPR a 'tax on the poor' probably stemmed from his party's history of putting taxes on people.
He also referred to cases faced by Rahul Gandhi's brother-in-law Robert Vadra.
"Today Rahul Gandhi said that NPR is a tax on the poor. I was thinking where did this tax come from? NPR is a population register which will have the details of people submitted by them. Tax is the culture of Congress, Jayanti tax, coal tax, 2G tax, Jijaji tax. Corruption is the base of Congress' politics and therefore any move which can end corruption is opposed by them," Javadekar alleged.
He clarified that NPR was done earlier under Congress-led UPA government and it will be conducted in a similar manner to 'identify and provide help to the poor and the needy.'
Gandhi had told reporters in Raipur earlier in the day that the National Register of Citizens (NRC) and National Population Register (NPR) were taxes on poor people.
"Whether it is NRC and NPR, it is a tax on poor people of the country. Demonetisation was a tax on poor people of the country. This too is the same thing. Go to the officer...poor people will go...show your papers...give bribe if your name is slightly wrong. Crores of money will go from the poor people to the same 15 people," he alleged.
( With inputs from ANI )