Nuh (Haryana), Dec 21 (PTI) Targeting the BJP, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday suggested that while his party gave voice to farmers and labourers another ideology benefited only a select few.
As the Bharat Jodo Yatra led by him crossed over into Haryana from Rajasthan, Gandhi also slammed the ruling party over inflation and unemployment.
On BJP leaders questioning the need for him to undertake the Kanyakumari to Kashmir march, the former Congress president said he is “opening a shop of love in the market of hate” through the yatra.
“When these people go out to spread hatred in this country, people of our ideology go out to spread love and affection,” he said, addressing a large gathering that had turned up braving the morning chill.
“This is not a new fight. Don’t think that this fight is today’s, of the 21st century. This fight is thousands of years old and the two ideologies have been fighting.” “One ideology gives and gave benefits to a select few and the second ideology is the voice of people, peoples’ pain, farmers’ voice, labourers’ voice,” Gandhi said.
He said the fight will go on and the Congress will continue to have a role in it. “This is why we started this yatra,” he added.
The yatra resumed from Patan Udaipuri in Haryana’s Nuh district, entering it from neighbouring Rajasthan.
Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, his former deputy Sachin Pilot and state party chief Govind Singh Dotasara accompanied the yatra into the state, run by a BJP-led coalition.
It was welcomed by Haryana’s Leader of the Opposition Bhupinder Singh Hooda, Randeep Singh Surjewala, Kumari Selja and Deepender Singh Hooda. Haryana Congress chief Udai Bhan and the newly appointed state in-charge at the AICC, Shaktisinh Gohil, too were in this group.
Swaraj India chief Yogendra Yadav and Sudheendra Kulkarni, who several years back was with the BJP, also joined later.
A group of ex-servicemen walked along the yatra as it continued for several hours. One man was seen presenting Gandhi with a rose.
The Congress leader said he has learnt a lot through this yatra – things that one cannot understand while sitting in cars, aeroplanes and helicopters.
Gandhi said there is a gulf now between people and political leaders from all parties, including the Congress, the BJP and the Samajwadi Party.
“The leaders think there is no need to listen to people and they give lengthy speeches for hours. This yatra attempted to change that.” “We walk daily for six or seven hours and all leaders listen to the voice of everyone, including farmers, labourers, youth, mothers, daughters, small shopkeepers, and small and medium business persons — and after that we give a 15-minute speech,” he said.
Gandhi said he will suggest to his party president that ministers and MLAs in Congress-ruled states should undertake a march for one day every month to better understand people’s problems.
He said there are two big issues which are affecting the country–unemployment and inflation. Even highly educated youth were driving taxis and doing manual labour, he added.
He claimed that small and mid-size businesses were sidelined while five to seven billionaires can do whatever they feel like.
The Congress leader said he has maintained that demonetisation and GST are not policies but weapons to eliminate small and medium traders.
“The aim is to hand over the country’s wealth to three or four people,” he alleged. “The result is that the country is unable to provide jobs to its youth.” He said the participants in the march will later unfurl the national flag in Srinagar, “and no power can stop this yatra.” He said it was not a Congress march, but a yatra of “poor people, labourers, small shopkeepers and unemployed youth”.
Addressing the gathering after the march entered Haryana, Gehlot said the yatra’s message has reached every state, district, village and home.
Bhupinder Hooda said Rahul Gandhi has emerged as the voice of the people who face unemployment and inflation.
Gandhi interacted with ex-servicemen in Firozpur Jhirka in Nuh.
The ex-servicemen’s unit of the state Congress handed him a memorandum, which claimed that the BJP-led government at the Centre had not met the one rank, one pension demand “as per the agreed definition”. It also criticised the new Agnipath scheme for recruitment in the defence forces.
On its 105th day, the yatra also passed through Firozpur Jhirkha and Anaj Mandi. The night halt was scheduled at Akeda, also in Nuh district.
Over the next two days, the yatra will pass through Gurugram and Faridabad districts. PTI SUN CHS VSD DV ASH ASH
This report is auto-generated from PTI news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.