BENGALURU: Terming his Bharat Jodo Yatra as a voice of the nation and that no force can stop his padayatra, former Congress president Rahul Gandhi said he initiated the padayatra after the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party curbed opposition voices in Parliament and media.
Delivering a speech in Gundlupet of Chamarajanagar while resuming his Yatra, Rahul Gandhi said opposition leaders are being harassed by the ruling party.
“In a democracy, different institutions function but for opposition leaders all roads leading to these institutions including Parliament have been blocked by the ruling party and without any option I embarked on a padayatra,” he alleged, and added, “No force can stop us from holding padayatra.”
Stating that his “Yatra” is aimed at “Saving Democracy”, Rahul Gandhi said people cutting across caste and religious lines met him and narrated their problems such as unemployment, price rise, atrocities on farmers, selling of public sector undertakings in the country. “The entire Hindustan is sharing its problems with me,” he said.
Leader of Opposition and Congress Siddaramaiah in his speech stated that “communal” politics and “revenge” politics have increased through the length and breadth of the country after Narendra Modi became the Prime Minister.
Nowadays, he said, dalits, backward class, farmers, minorities and women have been living in a state of fear.
Under the BJP, he accused, people of the country have been divided on caste and religious lines and called upon the people of the country to take-up responsibility to end such political atmosphere.
He asked people to be ready for making ”sacrifices” to save democracy and in this effort to “Save Democracy”, not only the Congress party but also writers, intellectuals, civil society groups, farmer leaders, Communist of Party of India among others have made efforts in this direction. Siddaramaiah stated that “It is a good sign.”
Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee president D.K. Shivakumar alleged BJP of indulging ikn tactics to curb the Congress and they do not fear such tactics.
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