Chandigarh: As the Bharat Jodo Yatra completed its Haryana leg on Tuesday, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi attacked the BJP-led government, saying during the course of the march he did not come across even one person who could name a single step that the present dispensation has taken to solve problems like unemployment or farmers' issues.
The Gandhi-led yatra moved to Punjab after passing through seven Haryana districts in two phases. The Haryana leg concluded in Ambala district. In the evening, the former Congress chief, in a message to the people of Haryana from Sirhind near the state's border with Punjab, said, "The people of Haryana showed their support by walking with us in overwhelming numbers...for which we are very grateful." "I especially thank the lakhs who attended our public meeting in Panipat and the large numbers of women and youth who participated in the yatra, often braving the cold, fog, and even smog," he said.
The people of Haryana are blessed with everything they need for a good life. However, their potential is being wasted, he noted. "The farmers of Haryana led the historic movement against the three black farm laws and many were martyred. Still, the agricultural crisis endures. "In the land of doodh, dahi, and gurh, it is a tragedy that farmers' children no longer want to be farmers. Yet, there are no other options for an aspirational youth. Haryana has the highest youth unemployment rate, and desperate youth look abroad for jobs," the Congress MP said.
The youth of Haryana have long excelled in sports, but even this avenue is closing, with academies being shut down and public support diminished, he said. "Not one person we met in Haryana could name a single step the BJP government has taken to solve these problems," he said. "Instead, they told us that the government has been systematically spreading division between Hindus, Muslims and Sikhs; between farmers and non-farmers; and between people of different castes," he said.
Gandhi said governments of past decades planted the seeds of development, which are yielding fruits now. "Tragically, today's government is busy building a 'nafrat ki bazaar' (market of hate). Thankfully, the yatra appears to have led to some belated awakening," he said. Shortly after ex-servicemen and medical students joined the yatra, the central government released pension arrears, and the state government made concessions on bonds for medical students, he said.
Gandhi said the people of Haryana have shown that they have the potential to compete with the best. "All that is needed is to bring people together, and work honestly to solve their problems instead of the government's failed policy of divide and rule. That is why Bharat Jodo is the need of the hour in Haryana today, and that is why lakhs of Haryanvis have welcomed the yatra," he said. He also said during the yatra in Haryana, "we have seen the diversity of the state, by walking through the green fields of Nuh and Karnal, vibrant industrial centres of Faridabad and Ambala, and historic sites of Indian culture such as Kurukshetra and Panipat".
"We were also honoured to join the residents of Ghasera in Nuh district to celebrate Mewat Diwas. (Mahatma) Gandhiji's act of reassuring Mewatis during the Partition reminds us all of the true meaning of Bharat Jodo," he said. The yatra, which started from Kanyakumari in Tamil Nadu on September 7, will conclude in Srinagar by January 30, with Gandhi hoisting the national flag there. The march has so far covered Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh and Haryana. (PTI)
