Surajpur (Chhattisgarh): Senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday hugged a tribal man and asked him not to panic during his Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra in Chhattisgarh’s Surajpur. Addressing a gathering at Surajpur, he said, “Tribals live in forests and need water, forest and land to live. Tribals are the first owners of the country, but the BJP has coined a new word - ‘Vanvasi’ (forest dwellers). BJP says that tribals are not the first owners of the country, they are Vanvasi and have to live only in the forest. If the children of the tribals want to become doctors, engineers, or businessmen, then they are not able to do that. This is an injustice to tribals,” Rahul said.
Taking a dig at the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the Congress leader claimed that only some people were benefitting from the "system" in the country in the last 10 years while all the others were paying taxes and dying of hunger. "In that system, there is no person from the 73 per cent population, comprising the backward classes, Dalits and tribals, and the poor from the general category. In that system, 100-200...1,000-2,000 are being benefited and rest of the people are just watching, dying of hunger and paying GST," Gandhi claimed.
The Congress leader asked a tribal man from the gathering to board his vehicle and explained how people are allegedly bearing the brunt of the "system". Suppose this person goes to a market and 2-3 people decide to steal his wallet, what will be the first task? he said.
"The first person (thief) will divert his attention. In this way, you are being misled. Then the other person comes and steals the wallet. GST and demonetisation are the same (act). At last, if you make noise, the third person (thief) slaps you twice. If you are a small shopkeeper and express disagreement, then the CBI, I-T and ED will come," Gandhi claimed. (With PTI Inputs)
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