Congress leader and MP Rahul Gandhi has embarked on ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’, along with various leaders of political parties and representatives of social organisations, with an aim to create awareness in the society of worsening economic and social disparity in the country under the BJP rule, Maharashtra Congress spokesperson Gopaldada Tiwari said on Saturday.
As the countrymen now understand well that the yatra is being taken for them as the ‘democratic republic’ is under threat, he claimed.
He further said the country emerged as a ‘Democratic, Republic of India’ after independence and every citizen got the constitutional right of ‘equal vote’.
India got freedom not by begging but through a bitter struggle, martyrdom and sacrifice of life by thousands during the freedom struggle, he said and asserted it should not go in vain.
But BJP leader Madhav Bhandari won’t accept this, he said in a jibe.
Targeting the BJP-led central government, the Congress leader claimed that it has given Padmashree to those who claimed to have begged for freedom and also made MPs to those who supported the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi.
The Prime Minister has failed to speak of peace even when there was violence in the country due to the religious hate speech by BJP spokesperson Nupur Sharma, movie like ‘Kashmir Files’ was made tax free for showing religious hatred and violence, release of gangrape accused from jail, he continued with his criticism of the government.
Furthermore, no investigation into the killing of 40 CRPF jawans in Pulwama and CRPF deputy superintendent Devinder Singh being found with two militants raised several questions in the minds of the countrymen about the government, he said.
Also, when the Supreme Court judges openly admit of pressure on them in front of media, it means that the country is broken and its Constitution under threat, the Congress leader noted.
Besides religious disparity, this yatra will shed light on massive privatisation of national assets by the (Narendra) Modi government, mounting debt, massive loot in form of hike in excise on petrol and diesel, rising inflation, increase in taxes on essential commodities and growing unemployment among people due to wrong policies of the central government, he said.
Therefore, it is the constitutional duty of the Congress as the main Opposition party to raise awareness among the citizens on these issues and to keep intact the unity and integrity of the country, he said.
Tiwari also took a potshot at Madhav Bhandari and Smriti Irani for pointing out Rahul Gandhi’s meetings with Muslim and Christian religious leaders but conveniently ignoring the Congress MP praying and circumambulating at the Swami Vivekananda memorial, paying tributes to Shankaracharya of Sharada Pitha, meeting with Mata Amritanandamayi and his visits to Shri Narayan Guru Sivagiri Math and Lingayat Swami Math.
“How long will these BJP leaders keep making false claims,” he wondered.