Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Sunday said the voice of India was being suppressed, hatred and fear were being spread, and efforts were being made to divide the country.
He was addressing a press conference at Kurukshetra during his ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’, where he asserted that the yatra was against the forces which seek to suppress these voices in the country.
“The aim of the yatra is to listen to the true voice of the country. Today, inequality is increasing in India. Entire economic power is going in the hands of 3-4 people and this has resulted in rapidly rising unemployment and inflation,” he said.
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Mr. Gandhi claimed that during the yatra, the farmers told the truth about Haryana. “Today the farmer is being burdened from all sides. He is being hit directly by the price of diesel and petrol, by not giving insurance compensation, and by the rising price of fertilizers. Farmers’ income did not double, it decreased. Farmers only saw an increase in input prices, not one and a half times Minimum Support Price,” he said.
Export policy
“The loan waiver was given only to the billionaires, not the farmers. The farmers were attacked by using black laws and export policy as weapons. India cannot move forward if it leaves behind its farmers. When our government comes, the farmers will be protected and they will be helped,’ the Congress leader added.
Mr. Gandhi said, “lakhs of youth work hard for the dream of becoming doctors and engineers. But the truth is that even 10% will not be able to get the job of a doctor or engineer. The MSME sector can provide employment as small and medium industries have been destroyed and they are not getting any help.”
He said the country needed a second green revolution to promote agriculture, and set up food processing factories. This, he said, could provide employment to crores of people and the producer had to be respected in this country.
Hitting out at the BJP and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), Mr. Gandhi said ever since the RSS had taken hold of the institutions in the country, the fight had ceased to be political. “The Congress party has a history of sacrifice while the BJP is an organisation of worship. The RSS wants it to be worshiped by force and everyone in the country should worship them. Lakhs of people are doing ‘tapasya’ [meditation] in Bharat Jodo Yatra, which is why this yatra is successful. The BJP-RSS is forcibly taking this country towards worship,” he said.
