‘Govt policies creating two India…’: Rahul Gandhi’s jibe at BJP in Gujarat

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, who addressed two public rallies in poll-bound Gujarat amid his Bharat Jodo Yatra on Monday, accused the incumbent Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of drawing plans to displace tribal people 'the first owners of the country' and handing over forests to industrialists.

He also said that the policies of the ruling party's government are creating 'two India' which includes selected billionaires and the poor, according to the news agency PTI.

Rahul Gandhi addresses two rallies in Gujarat yesterday, one at Mahuva in Surat district and another in Rajkot.

The Wayanad MP said that he felt the pain of farmers, youth and tribals during his 3,500 km long Bharat Jodo Yatra, while also raking up the Morbi bridge collapse tragedy, in which 135 people were killed last month. He alleged that no action was taken against the 'real culprits' because they have a good relationship with the BJP in Gujarat, PTI reported.

Addressing an election rally in Rajkot, Gandhi said, "While the watchmen posted at the bridge collapse cite were arrested, no action was taken against the real culprits because they are linked to BJP."

He further addressed the public interest's issues like unemployment, inflation, demonetisation impact, faulty GST, and the waiving of NPAs worth lakhs of crores of select billionaires, as per PTI reports. 

Congress won 77 seats in the 2017 Gujarat Assembly elections. Now, the grand old party is trying to pose a challenge to the BJP, which is seeking a seventh straight term in the home state of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Speaking about his Bharat Jodo Yatra, Gandhi said, "This padayatra was for the unity of the country and during the cross-country foot march I felt the pain of farmers, youth and people from the tribal community after listening to their problems."

"They (BJP) call you 'vanvasi' (forest dwellers). They do not say you are the first owners of India, but that you live in the jungles. Do you see the difference? It means they do not want you to live in cities, see your children becoming engineers, doctors, learn to fly planes, speak English," he added.

(With PTI inputs)