News Analysis India

Tag: Bharat-Jodo Yatra

  • BJP hits out at Congress as controversial godman ‘Computer Baba’ marches beside Rahul in MP yatra

    By PTI

    AGAR MALWA: Controversial self-styled godman Namdeo Das Tyagi aka ‘Computer Baba’ on Saturday took part in the Bharat Jodo Yatra in Madhya Pradesh, with the ruling BJP wondering how an accused person like him who was arrested in an encroachment case in the past could walk with Rahul Gandhi.

    Tyagi was booked and arrested in 2020 for allegedly manhandling a panchayat staffer before the demolition of alleged illegal construction at his ashram near Indore.

    Tyagi joined Gandhi in the yatra at Mahudiya village in Agar Malwa district in the morning.

    He was seen interacting with Gandhi and senior Congress leader Digvijay Singh, and walked with them for a few minutes.

    BJP leader Narendra Saluja, who recently quit the Congress and joined the saffron party, said, “After Kanhaiya Kumar and actor Swara Bhasker, now Computer Baba? What kind of Jodo Yatra is it?” He alleged that ‘Computer Baba’ is an accused in cases related to encroaching government land and others, and was in jail on these charges.

    “How can a person like him match steps with Gandhi in his Bharat Jodo Yatra?” he asked.

    Responding to BJP’s criticism, former Congress minister Rajkumar Patel said that several seers and religious leaders were becoming part of the Bharat Jodo Yatra.

    “Everyone is welcome to join the yatra as it is in the interest of the country,” he said.

    On BJP targeting the Congress over Computer Baba’s participation in the foot march despite facing cases, he said, “It has nothing to do with the yatra. They (BJP) are free to probe allegations and nobody has stopped them from doing so.”

    The case against Tyagi had been registered in November 2020 for allegedly manhandling a panchayat staffer.

    The authorities had then claimed that they had freed 40,000 sq ft of land worth Rs 13 crore from alleged encroachment by Tyagi.

    His ashram, constructed illegally on government land at Jamboodi Hapsi village, was demolished by the district administration, they had said.

    Tyagi was accorded a Minister of State (MoS) status in 2018 by the then Shivraj Singh Chouhan-led BJP government.

    He was appointed as the chairman of a river conservation trust.

    However, his bonhomie with the BJP ended after he raised the issue of illegal mining going on in the Narmada river and also demanded a helicopter to survey the river.

    In the last Assembly election, he had worked for Congress.

    AGAR MALWA: Controversial self-styled godman Namdeo Das Tyagi aka ‘Computer Baba’ on Saturday took part in the Bharat Jodo Yatra in Madhya Pradesh, with the ruling BJP wondering how an accused person like him who was arrested in an encroachment case in the past could walk with Rahul Gandhi.

    Tyagi was booked and arrested in 2020 for allegedly manhandling a panchayat staffer before the demolition of alleged illegal construction at his ashram near Indore.

    Tyagi joined Gandhi in the yatra at Mahudiya village in Agar Malwa district in the morning.

    He was seen interacting with Gandhi and senior Congress leader Digvijay Singh, and walked with them for a few minutes.

    BJP leader Narendra Saluja, who recently quit the Congress and joined the saffron party, said, “After Kanhaiya Kumar and actor Swara Bhasker, now Computer Baba? What kind of Jodo Yatra is it?” He alleged that ‘Computer Baba’ is an accused in cases related to encroaching government land and others, and was in jail on these charges.

    “How can a person like him match steps with Gandhi in his Bharat Jodo Yatra?” he asked.

    Responding to BJP’s criticism, former Congress minister Rajkumar Patel said that several seers and religious leaders were becoming part of the Bharat Jodo Yatra.

    “Everyone is welcome to join the yatra as it is in the interest of the country,” he said.

    On BJP targeting the Congress over Computer Baba’s participation in the foot march despite facing cases, he said, “It has nothing to do with the yatra. They (BJP) are free to probe allegations and nobody has stopped them from doing so.”

    The case against Tyagi had been registered in November 2020 for allegedly manhandling a panchayat staffer.

    The authorities had then claimed that they had freed 40,000 sq ft of land worth Rs 13 crore from alleged encroachment by Tyagi.

    His ashram, constructed illegally on government land at Jamboodi Hapsi village, was demolished by the district administration, they had said.

    Tyagi was accorded a Minister of State (MoS) status in 2018 by the then Shivraj Singh Chouhan-led BJP government.

    He was appointed as the chairman of a river conservation trust.

    However, his bonhomie with the BJP ended after he raised the issue of illegal mining going on in the Narmada river and also demanded a helicopter to survey the river.

    In the last Assembly election, he had worked for Congress.

  • MP school teacher suspended for taking part in Bharat Jodo Yatra

    By PTI

    BARWANI: A school teacher was suspended for attending the Rahul Gandhi-led Bharat Jodo Yatra in Madhya Pradesh’s Barwani district, an official said on Saturday.

    Rajesh Kannoje, a teacher with a government primary school under the state’s Tribal Affairs Department in Kanasya, was suspended on November 25 but the issue came to light after his suspension order surfaced on social media.

    “Kannoje was suspended for violation of service conduct rules and attending a political rally. He had sought leave citing important work but he posted photographs on social media after attending a political event,” Assistant Commissioner NS Raghuvanshi of the Tribal Affairs Department said.

    As per the order, Kannoje violated service conduct rules by attending Bharat Jodo Yatra being taken out by a political party on November 24.

    BARWANI: A school teacher was suspended for attending the Rahul Gandhi-led Bharat Jodo Yatra in Madhya Pradesh’s Barwani district, an official said on Saturday.

    Rajesh Kannoje, a teacher with a government primary school under the state’s Tribal Affairs Department in Kanasya, was suspended on November 25 but the issue came to light after his suspension order surfaced on social media.

    “Kannoje was suspended for violation of service conduct rules and attending a political rally. He had sought leave citing important work but he posted photographs on social media after attending a political event,” Assistant Commissioner NS Raghuvanshi of the Tribal Affairs Department said.

    As per the order, Kannoje violated service conduct rules by attending Bharat Jodo Yatra being taken out by a political party on November 24.

  • Congress may end 3,500-km Bharat Jodo Yatra on Republic Day

    By Express News Service

    NEW DELHI: The Congress party, according to sources, has taken a big decision for the selection of a special day for Bharat Jodo Yatra. According to sources, the Congress has decided that the Bharat Jodo Padyatra, which started from Kanyakumari on September 7, will conclude on January 26 in Kashmir covering a distance of about 3500 km.

    “In fact, the Congress was going to end this yatra by hoisting the tricolour in Srinagar on February 20, but now under the new strategy, Rahul Gandhi will conclude his yatra by hoisting the tricolour in Srinagar on Republic Day,” said sources.

    According to Congress sources, after January 26, a plenary session of the Congress will also be held before February 7, in which the name of Congress Party President Mallikarjun Kharge will be approved, after which the new Congress Working Committee will be formed. Immediately after that major changes will also be made in the Congress organisation which have been postponed for a long time. A meeting of the Steering Committee is also scheduled to be convened on December 4 at Party Headquarters in Delhi.

    NEW DELHI: The Congress party, according to sources, has taken a big decision for the selection of a special day for Bharat Jodo Yatra. According to sources, the Congress has decided that the Bharat Jodo Padyatra, which started from Kanyakumari on September 7, will conclude on January 26 in Kashmir covering a distance of about 3500 km.

    “In fact, the Congress was going to end this yatra by hoisting the tricolour in Srinagar on February 20, but now under the new strategy, Rahul Gandhi will conclude his yatra by hoisting the tricolour in Srinagar on Republic Day,” said sources.

    According to Congress sources, after January 26, a plenary session of the Congress will also be held before February 7, in which the name of Congress Party President Mallikarjun Kharge will be approved, after which the new Congress Working Committee will be formed. Immediately after that major changes will also be made in the Congress organisation which have been postponed for a long time. A meeting of the Steering Committee is also scheduled to be convened on December 4 at Party Headquarters in Delhi.

  • Bharat Jodo Yatra reaches Indore in MP; Rahul Gandhi seen helping wheelchair-bound man 

    By PTI

    INDORE: The Bharat Jodo Yatra led by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi reached Indore on Sunday on the fifth day of its Madhya Pradesh leg.

    People from different sections of society including a differently-abled man, Manohar, also joined the foot march and Gandhi was seen pushing his wheelchair to some distance. The man said that the country now needs a change. 

    After a night halt at Mhow, the birthplace of Dr B R Ambedkar, the yatra participants resumed the march on Sunday morning. The yatra passed through the suburban area of Rau and reached Indore.

    A red carpet was rolled out to welcome when the march reached Rau.

    Indore Commissioner of Police H C Mishra said 1,400 personnel have been deployed in the city to provide security to the yatra and barricades have been put up at various places.

    ALSO READ | Congress seeks to bolster hold on key MP region with Rahul’s yatra; BJP launches counter campaign 

    Twelve dilapidated houses in the densely populated Rajwada area with narrow streets have been temporarily evacuated to avoid the possibility of any untoward incident during the march, he said.

    Earlier, a sweet shop in Juni area of Indore received an anonymous letter by post on November 17, threatening bomb blasts in Indore city during the yatra.

    The letter, which referred to the 1984 anti-Sikh riots, had also threatened assassinations of Rahul Gandhi and MP Congress chief Kamal Nath. The police had arrested a person in this connection.

    The Congress’s Bharat Jodo Yatra, a mass contact initiative, will take a night halt at Chimanbagh Ground in the city, officials said.

    As per the initial plan of the Congress, Gandhi and other yatra participants were to be accommodated at the city’s Khalsa Stadium. But the plan could not materialise following a controversy.

    A row had erupted after Kamal Nath, facing allegations in connection with the 1984 anti-Sikh riots, was felicitated by organisers at a Sikh religious event held at Khalsa College in Indore on November 8.

    After Nath left the venue, famous kirtan singer Manpreet Singh Kanpuri had lashed out at the organisers for inviting the Congress leader.

    INDORE: The Bharat Jodo Yatra led by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi reached Indore on Sunday on the fifth day of its Madhya Pradesh leg.

    People from different sections of society including a differently-abled man, Manohar, also joined the foot march and Gandhi was seen pushing his wheelchair to some distance. The man said that the country now needs a change. 

    After a night halt at Mhow, the birthplace of Dr B R Ambedkar, the yatra participants resumed the march on Sunday morning. The yatra passed through the suburban area of Rau and reached Indore.

    A red carpet was rolled out to welcome when the march reached Rau.

    Indore Commissioner of Police H C Mishra said 1,400 personnel have been deployed in the city to provide security to the yatra and barricades have been put up at various places.

    ALSO READ | Congress seeks to bolster hold on key MP region with Rahul’s yatra; BJP launches counter campaign 

    Twelve dilapidated houses in the densely populated Rajwada area with narrow streets have been temporarily evacuated to avoid the possibility of any untoward incident during the march, he said.

    Earlier, a sweet shop in Juni area of Indore received an anonymous letter by post on November 17, threatening bomb blasts in Indore city during the yatra.

    The letter, which referred to the 1984 anti-Sikh riots, had also threatened assassinations of Rahul Gandhi and MP Congress chief Kamal Nath. The police had arrested a person in this connection.

    The Congress’s Bharat Jodo Yatra, a mass contact initiative, will take a night halt at Chimanbagh Ground in the city, officials said.

    As per the initial plan of the Congress, Gandhi and other yatra participants were to be accommodated at the city’s Khalsa Stadium. But the plan could not materialise following a controversy.

    A row had erupted after Kamal Nath, facing allegations in connection with the 1984 anti-Sikh riots, was felicitated by organisers at a Sikh religious event held at Khalsa College in Indore on November 8.

    After Nath left the venue, famous kirtan singer Manpreet Singh Kanpuri had lashed out at the organisers for inviting the Congress leader.

  • Congress seeks to bolster hold on key MP region with Rahul’s yatra; BJP launches counter campaign 

    By PTI

    BHOPAL: The politically crucial Malwa-Nimar region of Madhya Pradesh played a key role in propelling the Congress to power in 2018 after a gap of 15 years and the party is utilising the Rahul Gandhi-led Bharat Jodo Yatra to strengthen its position in the belt a year ahead of the Assembly polls.

    The yatra’s focus on Malwa-Nimar during its Madhya Pradesh leg will help the party revive its organisation at the grassroots level and also allow it to reap electoral benefits, according to a section of Congress leaders and political observers.

    Mindful of the political significance of the region, which accounts for 66 of the total 230 Assembly seats, the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), too, has stepped up its efforts to consolidate its position in Malwa-Nimar and retain its hold on power in the state.

    Gandhi’s cross-country march reached Baroda Ahir village, the birthplace of tribal icon and revolutionary Tantya Bheel in Pandhana tehsil in Khandwa district on November 24, a day after the yatra entered Madhya Pradesh in Burhanpur district.

    ALSO READ | Bharat Jodo Yatra proceeds further in MP, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra takes part in it for second day

    The Congress MP addressed a rally at Baroda Ahir where he batted for the restoration of the rights of tribals and paid rich tributes to Tantya Bheel.

    However, a day before that, Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan arrived at the village in tribal-dominated Nimar and flagged off Janjatiya Gaurav Yatra, an outreach programme of the BJP which is aggressively wooing adivasis.

    Chouhan also offered floral tributes to Tantya Bheel and met his family members during his visit.

    Known as the Indian ‘Robin Hood’, Tantya Bheel is hailed as a revolutionary who waged an armed struggle against British rule for 12 years.

    It is said the tribal leader used to loot the treasuries of the British government and distribute the plundered wealth among the poor.

    A BJP leader said the party is focusing not just on Malwa-Nimar, but the entire state, where the Assembly polls are due by 2023-end, and reaching out to different segments of the society.

    State BJP secretary Rajneesh Agrawal told PTI, “Our party is not only working in the Malwa-Nimar region for long but also in other parts of the state to consolidate its position among people. Six Janjatiya Gaurav Yatras are being taken out in MP and a separate march to spread awareness about the Panchayats (Extension to Scheduled Areas) Act (PESA Act), too, is underway,” he said.

    Agrawal said these events were planned by the BJP in advance as part of a strategy and they have nothing to do with Gandhi’s unity march, which started in Tamil Nadu on September 7.

    The central government had last year declared November 15 as Janjatiya Gaurav Diwas to mark the birth anniversary of tribal leader Birsa Munda and remember the contribution of tribal freedom fighters.

    The PESA Act was formulated to prevent the exploitation of the tribal population.

    It gives special powers to gram sabhas in scheduled areas, especially in the management of natural resources.

    “The yatra is not gaining much support from the people and it will not benefit the Congress party,” Agrawal claimed.

    In the 2018 Assembly elections, out of the 66 seats in the Malwa-Nimar region, the Congress had bagged 35 (the total count was 114), a tally which helped the party form its government in Madhya Pradesh in December that year under the leadership of Kamal Nath.

    The BJP had got 28 seats, while three were won by Independents.

    In 2013, the BJP had won a whopping 56 seats in Malwa-Nimar, the Congress 9, and Independent 1.

    However, after the fall of the Kamal Nath-led Congress government in March 2020 due to the resignation of 22 party MLAs and subsequent bypolls in 2020-2021, the BJP’s strength in the region rose to 33.

    On the other hand, the Congress tally was reduced to 30.

    Out of these 66 seats, 22 are reserved for scheduled tribes (STs) and nine for scheduled castes (SCs).

    The total number of reserved seats in the region is 31 and among them, the Congress has 20 in its kitty and the BJP 10, while one Assembly segment is represented by an Independent.

    Out of the total 22 ST seats, the Congress has 14 with it, while the BJP has seven and Independent one. The nine SC seats are distributed between the Congress (6) and the BJP (3).

    Though Congress leaders have maintained that the purpose of the yatra was not to seek electoral gains, the route planned by its managers in Madhya Pradesh clearly indicates the foot-march is focused on the Malwa-Nimar region.

    During its stay in MP, the yatra will be passing through through Burhanpur, Khandwa, Khargone, Indore, Ujjain, and Agar Malwa districts of the region before entering Rajasthan in the first week of December.

    However, the unity march’s impact will also be felt in other districts of Malwa, including Shajapur, Dewas, Barwani, Jhabua, Dhar, Alirajpur, Ratlam, Mandsaur and Neemuch, and beyond them to the entire state, Madhya Pradesh Congress general secretary JP Dhanopia said.

    It will benefit the party not only in the next Assembly polls in the state (2023), but also in the parliamentary elections (2024), Dhanopia said.

    However, senior Congress leader Digvijaya Singh said the 3,570km long Kanniyakumari to Kashmir yatra is above electoral politics and its objective is to save the Constitution and democracy in the country.

    “We are not seeking votes through this yatra. There are few things that cannot be related to elections,” the Rajya Sabha MP, the main organizer of the march, said in Burhanpur after the yatra entered for its 380km long Madhya Pradesh leg.

    Senior journalist Prakash Hindustani said though Congress leaders are saying the yatra is not related to elections, Gandhi, during his interactions, is touching upon subjects that will certainly benefit the party in future polls.

    The Congress’s mass outreach programme will benefit the party in the Malwa-Nimar region and also revive its organisation at the ground level, he said.

    BHOPAL: The politically crucial Malwa-Nimar region of Madhya Pradesh played a key role in propelling the Congress to power in 2018 after a gap of 15 years and the party is utilising the Rahul Gandhi-led Bharat Jodo Yatra to strengthen its position in the belt a year ahead of the Assembly polls.

    The yatra’s focus on Malwa-Nimar during its Madhya Pradesh leg will help the party revive its organisation at the grassroots level and also allow it to reap electoral benefits, according to a section of Congress leaders and political observers.

    Mindful of the political significance of the region, which accounts for 66 of the total 230 Assembly seats, the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), too, has stepped up its efforts to consolidate its position in Malwa-Nimar and retain its hold on power in the state.

    Gandhi’s cross-country march reached Baroda Ahir village, the birthplace of tribal icon and revolutionary Tantya Bheel in Pandhana tehsil in Khandwa district on November 24, a day after the yatra entered Madhya Pradesh in Burhanpur district.

    ALSO READ | Bharat Jodo Yatra proceeds further in MP, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra takes part in it for second day

    The Congress MP addressed a rally at Baroda Ahir where he batted for the restoration of the rights of tribals and paid rich tributes to Tantya Bheel.

    However, a day before that, Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan arrived at the village in tribal-dominated Nimar and flagged off Janjatiya Gaurav Yatra, an outreach programme of the BJP which is aggressively wooing adivasis.

    Chouhan also offered floral tributes to Tantya Bheel and met his family members during his visit.

    Known as the Indian ‘Robin Hood’, Tantya Bheel is hailed as a revolutionary who waged an armed struggle against British rule for 12 years.

    It is said the tribal leader used to loot the treasuries of the British government and distribute the plundered wealth among the poor.

    A BJP leader said the party is focusing not just on Malwa-Nimar, but the entire state, where the Assembly polls are due by 2023-end, and reaching out to different segments of the society.

    State BJP secretary Rajneesh Agrawal told PTI, “Our party is not only working in the Malwa-Nimar region for long but also in other parts of the state to consolidate its position among people. Six Janjatiya Gaurav Yatras are being taken out in MP and a separate march to spread awareness about the Panchayats (Extension to Scheduled Areas) Act (PESA Act), too, is underway,” he said.

    Agrawal said these events were planned by the BJP in advance as part of a strategy and they have nothing to do with Gandhi’s unity march, which started in Tamil Nadu on September 7.

    The central government had last year declared November 15 as Janjatiya Gaurav Diwas to mark the birth anniversary of tribal leader Birsa Munda and remember the contribution of tribal freedom fighters.

    The PESA Act was formulated to prevent the exploitation of the tribal population.

    It gives special powers to gram sabhas in scheduled areas, especially in the management of natural resources.

    “The yatra is not gaining much support from the people and it will not benefit the Congress party,” Agrawal claimed.

    In the 2018 Assembly elections, out of the 66 seats in the Malwa-Nimar region, the Congress had bagged 35 (the total count was 114), a tally which helped the party form its government in Madhya Pradesh in December that year under the leadership of Kamal Nath.

    The BJP had got 28 seats, while three were won by Independents.

    In 2013, the BJP had won a whopping 56 seats in Malwa-Nimar, the Congress 9, and Independent 1.

    However, after the fall of the Kamal Nath-led Congress government in March 2020 due to the resignation of 22 party MLAs and subsequent bypolls in 2020-2021, the BJP’s strength in the region rose to 33.

    On the other hand, the Congress tally was reduced to 30.

    Out of these 66 seats, 22 are reserved for scheduled tribes (STs) and nine for scheduled castes (SCs).

    The total number of reserved seats in the region is 31 and among them, the Congress has 20 in its kitty and the BJP 10, while one Assembly segment is represented by an Independent.

    Out of the total 22 ST seats, the Congress has 14 with it, while the BJP has seven and Independent one. The nine SC seats are distributed between the Congress (6) and the BJP (3).

    Though Congress leaders have maintained that the purpose of the yatra was not to seek electoral gains, the route planned by its managers in Madhya Pradesh clearly indicates the foot-march is focused on the Malwa-Nimar region.

    During its stay in MP, the yatra will be passing through through Burhanpur, Khandwa, Khargone, Indore, Ujjain, and Agar Malwa districts of the region before entering Rajasthan in the first week of December.

    However, the unity march’s impact will also be felt in other districts of Malwa, including Shajapur, Dewas, Barwani, Jhabua, Dhar, Alirajpur, Ratlam, Mandsaur and Neemuch, and beyond them to the entire state, Madhya Pradesh Congress general secretary JP Dhanopia said.

    It will benefit the party not only in the next Assembly polls in the state (2023), but also in the parliamentary elections (2024), Dhanopia said.

    However, senior Congress leader Digvijaya Singh said the 3,570km long Kanniyakumari to Kashmir yatra is above electoral politics and its objective is to save the Constitution and democracy in the country.

    “We are not seeking votes through this yatra. There are few things that cannot be related to elections,” the Rajya Sabha MP, the main organizer of the march, said in Burhanpur after the yatra entered for its 380km long Madhya Pradesh leg.

    Senior journalist Prakash Hindustani said though Congress leaders are saying the yatra is not related to elections, Gandhi, during his interactions, is touching upon subjects that will certainly benefit the party in future polls.

    The Congress’s mass outreach programme will benefit the party in the Malwa-Nimar region and also revive its organisation at the ground level, he said.

  • Congress accuses BJP of ‘doctoring’ video to discredit ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’

    By PTI

    SANAVAD: The Congress on Friday termed as “doctored” a video posted by the BJP IT cell head claiming that “Pakistan Zindabad” slogans were raised during the Bharat Jodo Yatra in Madhya Pradesh, and said there will be “payback” for such tactics by the ruling party’s “dirty tricks department.”

    BJP IT cell head Amit Malviya posted a video of the Yatra in which former Congress president Rahul Gandhi, party general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and Madhya Pradesh Congress president Kamal Nath are seen walking and a voice purportedly shouting “Pakistan Zindabad” is heard towards the end of the 21-second clip.

    The Yatra was passing through Bhanbarad in the Khargone district at the time.

    “After Richa Chaddha’s public application to join Rahul Gandhi’s Bharat ‘Jodo’ Yatra, ‘Pakistan Zindabad’ (listen towards the end of the video) slogans raised in Khargon. INC MP posted the video and then deleted it after the faux pas came to light. This is Congress’s truth,” Malviya tweeted.

    Hitting back, Congress’ general secretary in charge of communications Jairam Ramesh said a video “doctored” by the “dirty tricks department” of the BJP is doing the rounds to discredit the “highly successful” Bharat Jodo Yatra.

    “We are taking the necessary legal action immediately. We are prepared for such tactics, and there will be payback,” he said on Twitter.

    In another tweet, Ramesh also alleged that the Madhya Pradesh government “intimidated” and aggressively prevented tribal families displaced by a diamond mining project in the Chhatarpur district from meeting Rahul Gandhi in the afternoon.

    “This is democracy-BJP style,” the Congress leader said.

    Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, however, asked in a tweet, “The raising of Pakistan Zindabad slogan is uniting Bharat or uniting those who are breaking the country? Earlier also Bharat was divided, any plan to do it again? Those raising `Pakistan Zindabad’ slogans will not be spared at any cost.”

    State BJP president Vishnu Dutt Sharma said the raising of the slogan proved that this was the same Rahul Gandhi “who stood with those in JNU (Jawaharlal Nehru University) who wanted to disintegrate Bharat Mata into pieces.”

    SANAVAD: The Congress on Friday termed as “doctored” a video posted by the BJP IT cell head claiming that “Pakistan Zindabad” slogans were raised during the Bharat Jodo Yatra in Madhya Pradesh, and said there will be “payback” for such tactics by the ruling party’s “dirty tricks department.”

    BJP IT cell head Amit Malviya posted a video of the Yatra in which former Congress president Rahul Gandhi, party general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and Madhya Pradesh Congress president Kamal Nath are seen walking and a voice purportedly shouting “Pakistan Zindabad” is heard towards the end of the 21-second clip.

    The Yatra was passing through Bhanbarad in the Khargone district at the time.

    “After Richa Chaddha’s public application to join Rahul Gandhi’s Bharat ‘Jodo’ Yatra, ‘Pakistan Zindabad’ (listen towards the end of the video) slogans raised in Khargon. INC MP posted the video and then deleted it after the faux pas came to light. This is Congress’s truth,” Malviya tweeted.

    Hitting back, Congress’ general secretary in charge of communications Jairam Ramesh said a video “doctored” by the “dirty tricks department” of the BJP is doing the rounds to discredit the “highly successful” Bharat Jodo Yatra.

    “We are taking the necessary legal action immediately. We are prepared for such tactics, and there will be payback,” he said on Twitter.

    In another tweet, Ramesh also alleged that the Madhya Pradesh government “intimidated” and aggressively prevented tribal families displaced by a diamond mining project in the Chhatarpur district from meeting Rahul Gandhi in the afternoon.

    “This is democracy-BJP style,” the Congress leader said.

    Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, however, asked in a tweet, “The raising of Pakistan Zindabad slogan is uniting Bharat or uniting those who are breaking the country? Earlier also Bharat was divided, any plan to do it again? Those raising `Pakistan Zindabad’ slogans will not be spared at any cost.”

    State BJP president Vishnu Dutt Sharma said the raising of the slogan proved that this was the same Rahul Gandhi “who stood with those in JNU (Jawaharlal Nehru University) who wanted to disintegrate Bharat Mata into pieces.”

  • Gurjar community’s complaints will be heard; Yatra will a success: Ashok Gehlot

    By PTI

    JAIPUR: Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot on Wednesday said that he will try to address Gurjar community’s complaints, after its leader Vijay Singh Bainsla threatened to disrupt Rahul Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Yatra in the state.

    Bainsla has been pressing the state government to resolve issues it has raised regarding OBC reservation, and has also demanded Congress leader Rahul Gandhi to make Sachin Pilot Rajasthan CM.

    Bainsla has said that the community had given its votes to Congress for a Gurjar CM in the state.

    Reacting to his demands, Gehlot said, “This is democracy and every one has the right to speak. We are ruling on the basis of the Constitution and the right to speak cannot be taken away. If there is any demand or suggestion, we will hear that and will try to address the complaints.”

    After a meeting of the party leaders to review the preparations of the yatra, the chief minister told reporters that the yatra will be held successfully in the state.

    “The atmosphere in the state is good, there is enthusiasm in the party workers. The objective of the yatra is to restore harmony and flag issues such as inflation and unemployment,” he said.

    Gehlot said that efforts were made to tarnish the image of Rahul Gandhi on social media in the past but now, through the yatra, a new image of him has emerged.

    Gehlot also attacked the BJP, calling them “fascists.” He said people running the central government do not like criticism and treat anyone who criticises them as “anti-national.”

    “They speak with shamelessness — do not take the name of former prime ministers. This is a fascist thought,” he said, as he spoke about the contributions of former prime ministers Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi in the making of the country.

    ALSO READ | Pilot distances himself from Gurjar leader’s demand, says Congress yatra will be successful

    On the issue of anomalies in OBC reservation raised by former minister Harish Chaudhary, Gehlot said that the issue will be discussed in the cabinet and will be resolved.

    He also said that it was a technical matter and those raising it should not make it an issue related to caste.

    Chaudhary, a Congress MLA from Baitu in Barmer, has agitated several times under the banner of OBC Aarakshan Sangharsh Samiti to remove the discrepancies in OBC reservation.

    Gehlot said that the anomaly was created by the former BJP government, but it will be taken care of.

    Pradesh Congress Committee chief Govind Singh Dotasra said the party had detailed discussions on the yatra in its state coordination committee.

    He said that a committee has been formed with 15 coordinators to look after the arrangements of the yatra.

    These coordinators also attended the meeting.

    Senior Congress leader and state in-charge Ajay Maken skipped the meeting.

    COLUMN | Ajay Maken ko gussa kyon aata hai and the many headaches of Sachin Pilot

    Maken had recently written to party president Mallikarjun Kharge expressing his unwillingness to continue as the party in-charge, citing the September 25 incident, when a separate meeting of MLAs was held at the residence of parliamentary affairs minister Shanti Dhariwal, due to which the Congress Legislature Party meeting could not take place.

    Party sources said that Maken is unhappy that no action has been taken against Dhariwal, chief whip Mahesh Joshi, and Rajasthan Tourism Development Corporation (RTDC) chairman Dharmendra Rathore, despite notices served on them.

    JAIPUR: Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot on Wednesday said that he will try to address Gurjar community’s complaints, after its leader Vijay Singh Bainsla threatened to disrupt Rahul Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Yatra in the state.

    Bainsla has been pressing the state government to resolve issues it has raised regarding OBC reservation, and has also demanded Congress leader Rahul Gandhi to make Sachin Pilot Rajasthan CM.

    Bainsla has said that the community had given its votes to Congress for a Gurjar CM in the state.

    Reacting to his demands, Gehlot said, “This is democracy and every one has the right to speak. We are ruling on the basis of the Constitution and the right to speak cannot be taken away. If there is any demand or suggestion, we will hear that and will try to address the complaints.”

    After a meeting of the party leaders to review the preparations of the yatra, the chief minister told reporters that the yatra will be held successfully in the state.

    “The atmosphere in the state is good, there is enthusiasm in the party workers. The objective of the yatra is to restore harmony and flag issues such as inflation and unemployment,” he said.

    Gehlot said that efforts were made to tarnish the image of Rahul Gandhi on social media in the past but now, through the yatra, a new image of him has emerged.

    Gehlot also attacked the BJP, calling them “fascists.” He said people running the central government do not like criticism and treat anyone who criticises them as “anti-national.”

    “They speak with shamelessness — do not take the name of former prime ministers. This is a fascist thought,” he said, as he spoke about the contributions of former prime ministers Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi in the making of the country.

    ALSO READ | Pilot distances himself from Gurjar leader’s demand, says Congress yatra will be successful

    On the issue of anomalies in OBC reservation raised by former minister Harish Chaudhary, Gehlot said that the issue will be discussed in the cabinet and will be resolved.

    He also said that it was a technical matter and those raising it should not make it an issue related to caste.

    Chaudhary, a Congress MLA from Baitu in Barmer, has agitated several times under the banner of OBC Aarakshan Sangharsh Samiti to remove the discrepancies in OBC reservation.

    Gehlot said that the anomaly was created by the former BJP government, but it will be taken care of.

    Pradesh Congress Committee chief Govind Singh Dotasra said the party had detailed discussions on the yatra in its state coordination committee.

    He said that a committee has been formed with 15 coordinators to look after the arrangements of the yatra.

    These coordinators also attended the meeting.

    Senior Congress leader and state in-charge Ajay Maken skipped the meeting.

    COLUMN | Ajay Maken ko gussa kyon aata hai and the many headaches of Sachin Pilot

    Maken had recently written to party president Mallikarjun Kharge expressing his unwillingness to continue as the party in-charge, citing the September 25 incident, when a separate meeting of MLAs was held at the residence of parliamentary affairs minister Shanti Dhariwal, due to which the Congress Legislature Party meeting could not take place.

    Party sources said that Maken is unhappy that no action has been taken against Dhariwal, chief whip Mahesh Joshi, and Rajasthan Tourism Development Corporation (RTDC) chairman Dharmendra Rathore, despite notices served on them.

  • Bharat Jodo Yatra will be successful in Rajasthan, says Pilot post threat from Gurjar leader

    By PTI

    JAIPUR: Congress leader Sachin Pilot on Wednesday distanced himself from the threat by a prominent Gurjar outfit to disrupt the Bharat Jodo Yatra if its demand to make him the Rajasthan chief minister is not accepted, and instead blamed the BJP for trying to create “disturbances”.

    Gurjar Arakshan Sangharh Samiti leader Vijay Singh Bainsla has threatened to oppose the Rahul Gandhi’s yatra in Rajasthan unless his demand to make Pilot, a prominent face from the community, the chief minister is accepted.

    Asked about the threat of Bainsla, the former deputy chief minister of the state said, “No matter how hard the BJP tries, the yatra will be successful”. The BJP may try to create disturbances. BJP’s policy may be to break but the yatra is ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’ and it will be successful. We all will welcome the yatra in the state with unity,” he said outside the party’s war room where a meeting to review the preparations for the march has been convened.

    On Bainsla’s remarks that the community had voted to make a Gurjar chief minister, he said that the Congress was reduced to 21 seats in the 2013 assembly elections and after that people gave support to the party and the party got mandate in the 2018 elections.

    The Gurjar community constitutes five to six per cent of the state’s population and is influential in over 40 seats, mainly in eastern Rajasthan.

    This region includes the districts from where the yatra is scheduled to pass.

    Bainsla has also accused the Congress government of not fulfilling the promises made to the community.

    ALSO READ | Infighting within Congress cause of concern ahead of Bharat Jodo Yatra in Rajasthan

    “We had agreements with the government in 2019 and 2020 over several issues but the agreement is not being executed. It is not that we are threatening to stop the yatra but it is the Rajasthan government which is compelling us to take this move by not fulfilling our demands,” he said.

    Infighting between Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot and his former deputy and former PCC president Pilot has been going on over the post of chief ministership, an issue which has triggered two political crises in the four years of the Congress government in the state.

    Chief Minister Gehlot, PCC chief Govind Singh Dotasra, coordinators of various committees formed for looking after the arrangements of the yatra, which is scheduled to enter Rajasthan from Madhya Pradesh in the first week of December, are taking part in the meeting.

    JAIPUR: Congress leader Sachin Pilot on Wednesday distanced himself from the threat by a prominent Gurjar outfit to disrupt the Bharat Jodo Yatra if its demand to make him the Rajasthan chief minister is not accepted, and instead blamed the BJP for trying to create “disturbances”.

    Gurjar Arakshan Sangharh Samiti leader Vijay Singh Bainsla has threatened to oppose the Rahul Gandhi’s yatra in Rajasthan unless his demand to make Pilot, a prominent face from the community, the chief minister is accepted.

    Asked about the threat of Bainsla, the former deputy chief minister of the state said, “No matter how hard the BJP tries, the yatra will be successful”. The BJP may try to create disturbances. BJP’s policy may be to break but the yatra is ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’ and it will be successful. We all will welcome the yatra in the state with unity,” he said outside the party’s war room where a meeting to review the preparations for the march has been convened.

    On Bainsla’s remarks that the community had voted to make a Gurjar chief minister, he said that the Congress was reduced to 21 seats in the 2013 assembly elections and after that people gave support to the party and the party got mandate in the 2018 elections.

    The Gurjar community constitutes five to six per cent of the state’s population and is influential in over 40 seats, mainly in eastern Rajasthan.

    This region includes the districts from where the yatra is scheduled to pass.

    Bainsla has also accused the Congress government of not fulfilling the promises made to the community.

    ALSO READ | Infighting within Congress cause of concern ahead of Bharat Jodo Yatra in Rajasthan

    “We had agreements with the government in 2019 and 2020 over several issues but the agreement is not being executed. It is not that we are threatening to stop the yatra but it is the Rajasthan government which is compelling us to take this move by not fulfilling our demands,” he said.

    Infighting between Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot and his former deputy and former PCC president Pilot has been going on over the post of chief ministership, an issue which has triggered two political crises in the four years of the Congress government in the state.

    Chief Minister Gehlot, PCC chief Govind Singh Dotasra, coordinators of various committees formed for looking after the arrangements of the yatra, which is scheduled to enter Rajasthan from Madhya Pradesh in the first week of December, are taking part in the meeting.

  • Bharat Jodo Yatra enters MP; Rahul says their campaign is against hatred, violence in society 

    By PTI

    BORDALI (MP): The Bharat Jodo Yatra led by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi entered Bodarli village in Madhya Pradesh’s Burhanpur district from neighbouring Maharashtra on Wednesday morning.

    On the occasion, Gandhi said their campaign was against hatred, violence and fear being spread in society.

    A large number of Congressmen carrying the tricolour in their hands reached Bodarli to join the foot march.

    Maharashtra Congress president Nana Patole handed over the tricolour to Madhya Pradesh party chief Kamal Nath to formally launch the 12-day-long yatra in the central state, where it will cover a distance of 380 km before entering Rajasthan.

    Bodarli, a village with a population of nearly 6,000, was decorated with banana leaves as the region is known for the cultivation of fruit.

    ALSO READ | Priyanka Vadra all set to join brother’s ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’ in MP today

    Folk artists welcomed the yatra on its arrival in Madhya Pradesh. On the occasion, Gandhi said, “This yatra is against hatred, violence and fear being spread in the country. We have started the Bharat Jodo Yatra by taking the tricolour in our hands from Kanyakumari. Nobody can stop this tricolour from reaching Srinagar.”

    Targeting the central government on the issues of unemployment and inflation, Gandhi alleged, “The BJP first spreads fear in the minds of youth, farmers and labourers and when it sets in, they convert it into violence.”

    He called five-year-old boy Rudra, who was among the crowd present in the village, on the stage and asked him about his ambition, to which the child said he wanted to become a doctor.

    “In present India, it will be difficult for Rudra to fulfil his dreams as his parents have to spend crores of rupees to get an education in private medical colleges. He will have to work as a labourer as he won’t be able to pay the fees,” Gandhi said targeting the growing trend of privatisation of education in the country.

    He also claimed that industries, airports and seaports were in the hands of only three-four industrialists in the country. Even the Railways is also going into their hands, he added.

    “This is an India of injustice and we don’t want such an India,” Gandhi said.

    “The money going out of the pockets of the common man for purchasing costly petrol and cooking gas is going into the pockets of these three-four industrialists, he claimed.

    Welcoming the yatra in Madhya Pradesh, Kamal Nath claimed it will be most successful in the state.

    ALSO READ | After threat letter to Rahul, MP minister guarantees high security during Bharat Jodo Yatra

    Senior Congress leaders including former chief minister Digvijaya Singh, Leader of Opposition in the MP Assembly Govind Singh, former union ministers Suresh Pachouri and Arun Yadav among others were present on the occasion.

    On Tuesday, Nath said Congress general secretary in-charge of Uttar Pradesh Priyanka Gandhi Vadra along with her family would take part in the foot march for the first time.

    Vadra, the sister of Rahul Gandhi, will join the yatra between Burhanpur and Indore on November 24-25, Nath had said.

    The Congress has made elaborate arrangements for the yatra in MP, where the Assembly polls are due next year.

    It had lost power in the state in 2020 after a section of its MLAs quit the party.

    The yatra, a mass contact initiative of the Congress, will pass through western Madhya Pradesh’s Malwa-Nimar region, where the party had gained a convincing lead over the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the 2018 Assembly polls and subsequently formed government under Nath.

    But, 22 MLAs later quit the party following which the Nath government fell and later the BJP came back to power in the state under the leadership of Shivraj Singh Chouhan in March 2020.

    The Congress’s Bharat Jodo Yatra started on September 7 from Kanyakumari in Tamil Nadu.

    BORDALI (MP): The Bharat Jodo Yatra led by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi entered Bodarli village in Madhya Pradesh’s Burhanpur district from neighbouring Maharashtra on Wednesday morning.

    On the occasion, Gandhi said their campaign was against hatred, violence and fear being spread in society.

    A large number of Congressmen carrying the tricolour in their hands reached Bodarli to join the foot march.

    Maharashtra Congress president Nana Patole handed over the tricolour to Madhya Pradesh party chief Kamal Nath to formally launch the 12-day-long yatra in the central state, where it will cover a distance of 380 km before entering Rajasthan.

    Bodarli, a village with a population of nearly 6,000, was decorated with banana leaves as the region is known for the cultivation of fruit.

    ALSO READ | Priyanka Vadra all set to join brother’s ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’ in MP today

    Folk artists welcomed the yatra on its arrival in Madhya Pradesh. On the occasion, Gandhi said, “This yatra is against hatred, violence and fear being spread in the country. We have started the Bharat Jodo Yatra by taking the tricolour in our hands from Kanyakumari. Nobody can stop this tricolour from reaching Srinagar.”

    Targeting the central government on the issues of unemployment and inflation, Gandhi alleged, “The BJP first spreads fear in the minds of youth, farmers and labourers and when it sets in, they convert it into violence.”

    He called five-year-old boy Rudra, who was among the crowd present in the village, on the stage and asked him about his ambition, to which the child said he wanted to become a doctor.

    “In present India, it will be difficult for Rudra to fulfil his dreams as his parents have to spend crores of rupees to get an education in private medical colleges. He will have to work as a labourer as he won’t be able to pay the fees,” Gandhi said targeting the growing trend of privatisation of education in the country.

    He also claimed that industries, airports and seaports were in the hands of only three-four industrialists in the country. Even the Railways is also going into their hands, he added.

    “This is an India of injustice and we don’t want such an India,” Gandhi said.

    “The money going out of the pockets of the common man for purchasing costly petrol and cooking gas is going into the pockets of these three-four industrialists, he claimed.

    Welcoming the yatra in Madhya Pradesh, Kamal Nath claimed it will be most successful in the state.

    ALSO READ | After threat letter to Rahul, MP minister guarantees high security during Bharat Jodo Yatra

    Senior Congress leaders including former chief minister Digvijaya Singh, Leader of Opposition in the MP Assembly Govind Singh, former union ministers Suresh Pachouri and Arun Yadav among others were present on the occasion.

    On Tuesday, Nath said Congress general secretary in-charge of Uttar Pradesh Priyanka Gandhi Vadra along with her family would take part in the foot march for the first time.

    Vadra, the sister of Rahul Gandhi, will join the yatra between Burhanpur and Indore on November 24-25, Nath had said.

    The Congress has made elaborate arrangements for the yatra in MP, where the Assembly polls are due next year.

    It had lost power in the state in 2020 after a section of its MLAs quit the party.

    The yatra, a mass contact initiative of the Congress, will pass through western Madhya Pradesh’s Malwa-Nimar region, where the party had gained a convincing lead over the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the 2018 Assembly polls and subsequently formed government under Nath.

    But, 22 MLAs later quit the party following which the Nath government fell and later the BJP came back to power in the state under the leadership of Shivraj Singh Chouhan in March 2020.

    The Congress’s Bharat Jodo Yatra started on September 7 from Kanyakumari in Tamil Nadu.

  • Congress gave you MGNREGA, scholarships; BJP took away your land: Rahul to tribals in Gujarat

    By PTI

    MAHUVA (Gujarat): Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Monday said he felt the pain of farmers, youth and tribals after meeting them during his Bharat Jodo Yatra and accused the BJP of drawing up plans to displace adivasis by handing over forests to industrialists as he hit the campaign trail in Gujarat 10 days ahead of the first phase of Assembly polls.

    Addressing his first rally in Gujarat after the announcement of the Assembly poll schedule, Gandhi asserted tribals are the first owners of the country, but the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) was working to take away their jungles and keep their children away from modern education.

    The Congress MP took a break from his Bharat Jodo Yatra, currently passing through Maharashtra, and travelled to Gujarat, where he addressed a gathering of tribals at Mahuva in Surat district in support of his party, which is seeking to end its nearly three-decade stint in the opposition in the BJP-ruled state in the next month’s Assembly polls.

    Gandhi said his 3,570-km yatra, which started from Tamil Nadu on September 7, was for the unity of the country and during the cross-country foot-march he felt the pain of farmers, youth and people from the tribal community after listening to their problems.

    Sharing his experience of the yatra so far, the Congress leader said he felt sad while talking to farmers, youth, and tribals.

    Farmers shared their experience of not getting proper rate of their produce, crop insurance money or their loans not getting waived, while youth talked about remaining unemployed and failing to realize their dreams.

    “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 said at the rally at tribal-dominated Mahuva.

    ALSO READ | Modi govt weakening laws framed by UPA to empower tribals: Rahul Gandhi

    Further attacking the ruling party, the Lok Sabha member from Kerala alleged it wants to keep tribals away from modern health and education facilities.

    “They want you to live in the jungles, but do not stop there. After that, they start taking away the jungles from you. If it continues like this, then in another 5 to 10 years, all the jungles will be in the hands of 2 to 3 industrialists, and you will have no place to live, get no education, health and job,” Gandhi said.

    Recalling a children’s book about a tribal kid that his grandmother, former prime minister Indira Gandhi, gave him when he was a child, the Congress leader said she introduced the book as the one about tribals, the real owners of India.

    Gandhi said she told him if you want to understand India, you must understand tribals, their lives, their relations with water, jungle and land (jal, jungle, jameen).

    “She used the word, “adivasi,” for tribals, meaning those who have stayed here for the first time. I am telling you that you are the first owners of the country. The country has been taken away from you,” he said.

    The word “Adivasi” means the country belongs to tribals and they should get their rights in this country — like employment and health to them and their children, Gandhi said.

    “‘Vanvasi,’ on the other hand, means all that belong to you should be given to 2 to 3 industrialists, and you get no education, heath and any other rights,” the former Congress president said.

    Further targeting the BJP, he said laws introduced by the Congress when in power in the past at the Centre for the benefit of the tribal community were never implemented in states ruled by the saffron outfit.

    In fact, they worked to weaken important legislations like the PESA Act (Panchayat Extension to Scheduled Areas Act, the Land Acquisition Act and Forest Rights Act, among others, he claimed.

    “These were revolutionary laws to return water, land and jungle to you. We gave you MGNREGA (Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act ), jobs, scholarships, rights on land. They (BJP) did not do so. In fact they only took away your land from you,” the Congress MP said.

    ALSO READ | Gujarat Assembly polls: ‘Son’ rise in 20 seats as BJP, Cong field dynasts

    He said at a time when people talk about the environment and big conferences are held where delegates from all over the world meet to discuss green issues, tribals know about the subject more than any of these leaders.

    “You can teach them about water, land and jungles, and the work of a leader or a government is to listen to you,” he said, wooing tribals, a key bloc of voters for the opposition party.

    Gandhi said lakhs of people, including farmers, unemployed youths, women, tribals, Dalits, backward community members and minorities walked with him during the Bharat Jodo Yatra.

    “If someone is left behind, everyone comes forward to help him. It is a yatra of love and everyone is included. Nobody asks what is your caste, religion, which language you speak, your age, whether you are old, young, woman or man — nobody asks these questions,” he said.

    READ | Some people are doing foot march to get back to power: PM Modi’s dig at Rahul Gandhi

    He said the yatra was inspired by Mahatma Gandhi, who was born in Gujarat.

    Gandhi said he felt emotions of happiness as well as sadness during the unity march.

    “Sadness is experienced while talking to farmers, youths, tribals. Farmers do not get proper rate (of agri products), insurance money, their loan is not waived. Youths are unemployed, their dream is breaking. Someone wants to become an engineer, his parents spend money on his education, but he is working as a labourer (after getting degree),” he said.

    LIVE: Public Meeting | Surat | Gujarat#CongressAaveChe https://t.co/ysE6hyPCq6— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) November 21, 2022 The Congress MP maintained how a youth named Ram joined the yatra on Sunday evening and hugged him and started crying.

    “He said he lost his entire family due to the coronavirus and he was left alone. He said he was unemployed and didn’t see a way out,” Gandhi said.

    “He is not alone, there are lakhs of such youths in the country. When you talk to tribals, they say their land is being snatched away. They are being displaced without being told anything and some industrialists are given our land without any compensation,” the Congress leader said.

    Voting to elect a new 182-member Gujarat Assembly will be held in two phases — December 1 and 5 — and ballots will be counted on December 8.

    MAHUVA (Gujarat): Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Monday said he felt the pain of farmers, youth and tribals after meeting them during his Bharat Jodo Yatra and accused the BJP of drawing up plans to displace adivasis by handing over forests to industrialists as he hit the campaign trail in Gujarat 10 days ahead of the first phase of Assembly polls.

    Addressing his first rally in Gujarat after the announcement of the Assembly poll schedule, Gandhi asserted tribals are the first owners of the country, but the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) was working to take away their jungles and keep their children away from modern education.

    The Congress MP took a break from his Bharat Jodo Yatra, currently passing through Maharashtra, and travelled to Gujarat, where he addressed a gathering of tribals at Mahuva in Surat district in support of his party, which is seeking to end its nearly three-decade stint in the opposition in the BJP-ruled state in the next month’s Assembly polls.

    Gandhi said his 3,570-km yatra, which started from Tamil Nadu on September 7, was for the unity of the country and during the cross-country foot-march he felt the pain of farmers, youth and people from the tribal community after listening to their problems.

    Sharing his experience of the yatra so far, the Congress leader said he felt sad while talking to farmers, youth, and tribals.

    Farmers shared their experience of not getting proper rate of their produce, crop insurance money or their loans not getting waived, while youth talked about remaining unemployed and failing to realize their dreams.

    “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 said at the rally at tribal-dominated Mahuva.

    ALSO READ | Modi govt weakening laws framed by UPA to empower tribals: Rahul Gandhi

    Further attacking the ruling party, the Lok Sabha member from Kerala alleged it wants to keep tribals away from modern health and education facilities.

    “They want you to live in the jungles, but do not stop there. After that, they start taking away the jungles from you. If it continues like this, then in another 5 to 10 years, all the jungles will be in the hands of 2 to 3 industrialists, and you will have no place to live, get no education, health and job,” Gandhi said.

    Recalling a children’s book about a tribal kid that his grandmother, former prime minister Indira Gandhi, gave him when he was a child, the Congress leader said she introduced the book as the one about tribals, the real owners of India.

    Gandhi said she told him if you want to understand India, you must understand tribals, their lives, their relations with water, jungle and land (jal, jungle, jameen).

    “She used the word, “adivasi,” for tribals, meaning those who have stayed here for the first time. I am telling you that you are the first owners of the country. The country has been taken away from you,” he said.

    The word “Adivasi” means the country belongs to tribals and they should get their rights in this country — like employment and health to them and their children, Gandhi said.

    “‘Vanvasi,’ on the other hand, means all that belong to you should be given to 2 to 3 industrialists, and you get no education, heath and any other rights,” the former Congress president said.

    Further targeting the BJP, he said laws introduced by the Congress when in power in the past at the Centre for the benefit of the tribal community were never implemented in states ruled by the saffron outfit.

    In fact, they worked to weaken important legislations like the PESA Act (Panchayat Extension to Scheduled Areas Act, the Land Acquisition Act and Forest Rights Act, among others, he claimed.

    “These were revolutionary laws to return water, land and jungle to you. We gave you MGNREGA (Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act ), jobs, scholarships, rights on land. They (BJP) did not do so. In fact they only took away your land from you,” the Congress MP said.

    ALSO READ | Gujarat Assembly polls: ‘Son’ rise in 20 seats as BJP, Cong field dynasts

    He said at a time when people talk about the environment and big conferences are held where delegates from all over the world meet to discuss green issues, tribals know about the subject more than any of these leaders.

    “You can teach them about water, land and jungles, and the work of a leader or a government is to listen to you,” he said, wooing tribals, a key bloc of voters for the opposition party.

    Gandhi said lakhs of people, including farmers, unemployed youths, women, tribals, Dalits, backward community members and minorities walked with him during the Bharat Jodo Yatra.

    “If someone is left behind, everyone comes forward to help him. It is a yatra of love and everyone is included. Nobody asks what is your caste, religion, which language you speak, your age, whether you are old, young, woman or man — nobody asks these questions,” he said.

    READ | Some people are doing foot march to get back to power: PM Modi’s dig at Rahul Gandhi

    He said the yatra was inspired by Mahatma Gandhi, who was born in Gujarat.

    Gandhi said he felt emotions of happiness as well as sadness during the unity march.

    “Sadness is experienced while talking to farmers, youths, tribals. Farmers do not get proper rate (of agri products), insurance money, their loan is not waived. Youths are unemployed, their dream is breaking. Someone wants to become an engineer, his parents spend money on his education, but he is working as a labourer (after getting degree),” he said.

    LIVE: Public Meeting | Surat | Gujarat#CongressAaveChe https://t.co/ysE6hyPCq6— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) November 21, 2022 The Congress MP maintained how a youth named Ram joined the yatra on Sunday evening and hugged him and started crying.

    “He said he lost his entire family due to the coronavirus and he was left alone. He said he was unemployed and didn’t see a way out,” Gandhi said.

    “He is not alone, there are lakhs of such youths in the country. When you talk to tribals, they say their land is being snatched away. They are being displaced without being told anything and some industrialists are given our land without any compensation,” the Congress leader said.

    Voting to elect a new 182-member Gujarat Assembly will be held in two phases — December 1 and 5 — and ballots will be counted on December 8.