Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Monday attacked the Narendra Modi led BJP government for ''failing to address the concerns of farmers and youth of the country''.
Mr. Gandhi, who was addressing a gathering here, after Associated Journals Limited (AJL) announced the relaunch of Navjivan , a Hindi newspaper, accused the BJP government of suppressing the independence of the media industry and systematically destroying country's institution.
“Country is in grip of anger, and it's rising..the reason behind this is the fact that the BJP government is not able to give jobs to the youth and this is the key challenge before the government,” he said.
Mr. Gandhi said: “Farmers for them (BJP) is a liability. But I want to tell them that without farmers the country won't move ahead – be it 21st or 22nd century. It's absolutely clear that without food security and farmers’ prosperous future, the country can't move forward.
“Institutions across the country are under threat. Media industry is being threatened and suppressed by the BJP. The BJP and Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh don't want to listen or read anything against them. Media should write and present facts without fear. Congress is always ready to face criticism and correct itself, if, it's wrong – that is the difference between us (Congress) and them (BJP),” he said.
Mr. Gandhi claimed that Congress “will defeat the BJP” in the coming election, he said, the party will take steps to address the unemployment and farmers’ issue at national and state level. “When our government is formed we will devise a way to solve these issues with a 21st century strategy. We know that we can do it because we listen to people unlike the current government, which doesn't believe in hearing voice of public,” he said.
“When you (media) write independently, you protect the institutions of this country.” Mr. Gandhi further added.
Former Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh, said, “the BJP government at the Centre had during the last four and half years been working in a manner that would be detrimental to India's history. Country's freedom seems to be in danger. People across the country need to understand that how this (BJP) government is attempting to divide the society and stay vigilant.”
