Bharat Jodo Yatra: Hitting out at Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Monday said he should not be under anyone’s remote control and run the state independently. Punjab should be run from Punjab. Addressing a gathering here during his Bharat Jodo Yatra, Gandhi said it should not be run from Delhi.
“I want to ask Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann that you are the Chief Minister of Punjab, Punjab should be run from Punjab only. Bhagwant Mann should not come under pressure from Arvind Kejriwal ji and Delhi,” the Congress MP said while addressing a public meeting in Punjab.
“You should work independently and not be under anyone’s remote control,” he said, adding that it was a matter of honor for Punjab.
Mann is facing severe criticism from the opposition
Mann has been facing criticism from opposition parties alleging that all major decisions of his government are being taken by AAP’s national convenor in Delhi and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal. On the yatra, Gandhi said it was getting an overwhelming response and hit out at the BJP government at the Centre. He alleged that hatred and fear are being spread in the country and brother is being pitted against brother.
He also attacked the BJP government on the issue of unemployment and price rise. He again said that Yatra is opening shops of love in the market of hatred.
“There is a sense of ‘tapasya’ in the yatra. Not only me, but lakhs of people also go on this yatra. What is the meaning of ‘tapasya’? We walk 3,000 km which is not a big deal. We get food and support.” But it was farmers, labourers, small shopkeepers, owners of medium enterprises and youth doing penance,” he said.
“When a 12th class student takes the exam, he does penance. When a farmer sows a seed, he does penance. When a laborer builds a house, he does penance. But the one who is doing penance in the country is not getting it.” Any fruit of this. And those who are not doing any penance, they are getting full benefit of it.
Rahul targets Mann government for not giving loan waiver
Targeting the government, he alleged that farmers’ loans are not waived, but loans worth lakhs of crores of two-three rich are waived off.
Referring to the three agricultural laws that have now been repealed, Gandhi said farmers protested against them and did not go to their homes for more than a year. Gandhi said, “He did penance. Seven hundred people became martyrs and I consider them ascetics. When I demanded a two-minute silence in Parliament in their memory, it was not allowed. The government said that no Not martyred.” After one year of protest, the Prime Minister accepted his mistake but he did not even talk to the protesting farmers.
Gandhi said, “I can guarantee you that if the UPA government had been in power and Manmohan Singh had been the prime minister, he himself would have spoken to the farmers.”
Congress leaders also targeted BJP for imposing farmer’s law
He attacked the BJP government on the issues of farm laws, demonetisation and “wrong” implementation of the Goods and Services Tax (GST), saying “this government does not listen”.
The Bharat Jodo Yatra, which began on September 7 from Kanyakumari in Tamil Nadu, will conclude in Srinagar by January 30, with Gandhi unfurling the national flag in the summer capital of Jammu and Kashmir. It has so far covered Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh and Haryana.
(With inputs from PTI)