Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday accused the RSS and the BJP of spreading hatred, triggering violence, and attacking constitutional institutions as his Bharat Jodo Yatra crossed through Himachal Pradesh, a state which was not on the original route of the march.
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Addressing a gathering at Manser village in Kangra, where the yatra entered the state in the morning, Gandhi said he was “not allowed” to raise issues of public interest like demonetisation, “faulty implementation” of the GST, “anti-farm laws” and the Agniveer military recruitment scheme in Parliament.
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So he took the road to draw attention to them, he said as he began the 18-km Himachal stretch of the Kanyakumari-to-Kashmir yatra, which he said was to unite people against communal and divisive forces.
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He also addressed a rally in the evening, just before exiting the state and re-entering Punjab. Altogether, the yatra covered 25 km during the day.
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“The two important issues of unemployment and inflation are brushed aside by the BJP and we could not raise the issues through the judiciary and the media, as they are under pressure from the BJP," Gandhi claimed.
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“Himachal Pradesh was not in the itinerary but we changed the route of the yatra to cover the state,” he said. He regretted that only a single day was set aside for the state, but reminded that the march is set to end in Kashmir on January 30 -- Mahatma Gandhi’s death anniversary.
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The hill state recently voted the Congress to power, breaking the party's long streak of losses in assembly elections across the country.
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As the yatra entered Himachal Pradesh, Gandhi was welcomed by the state’s new chief minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, his deputy Mukesh Agnihotri and other ministers, state party president Pratibha Singh and enthusiastic party workers.
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Punjab Congress president Amrinder Singh Raja Warring handed over the Tricolour to Sukhu and Pratibha Singh.
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Tight security arrangements were in place but Gandhi interacted with people on the route.
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Congress flags and posters with his picture were on display and people climbed onto rooftops for a glimpse of the leader.
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Gandhi claimed that the BJP government’s policies were aimed at benefiting “three or four multi-millionaires”, and the welfare of farmers, the youth and workers was not on its agenda.
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He said the people of Himachal Pradesh are like the mountains – they have strength and humility. “It is easy to walk on the roads in Himachal as there is peace and people meet with love and respect.”
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The Congress leader offered prayers at the Shiva temple in Kathgarh, a small village located near the confluence of Beas and Chaunch Khad on the Himachal-Punjab border.
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In a statement, state BJP chief Suresh Kashyap ridiculed the Congress, claiming that since Independence the party has only tried to break India and its record is of "Bharat Todo".
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Sukhu attributed the Congress victory in the state elections to the party’s policies and “the triumph of truth”.
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Pratibha Singh said the Congress has already started fulfilling its poll promises and the process of implementing the Old Pension Scheme has begun.
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The march, which started from Kanyakumari in Tamil Nadu on September 7, has passed through Kerala, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, and Haryana.