Rahul rips BJP, begins 'Bharat Jodo Yatra' from Kumari

KANNIYAKUMARI:  India is heading towards disaster amid its worst-ever economic crisis and peak unemployment rate under BJP rule, warned Congress leader Rahul Gandhi at a public meeting as part of the party’s Bharat Jodo Yatra that was launched here on Wednesday.

Rahul alleged that the Tricolour was under attack from the BJP and RSS, which are dividing people in the name of religion and language, just like the East India Company did to plunder their resources, adding a handful of large companies are now controlling the country. 

“They control the entire nation from airports to ports to telecom and other sectors. Prime Minister Narendra Modi cannot function for a single day without their support,” he alleged. “Unfortunately the media are fully controlled. That is why on TV you would never see unemployment or price rise but only the image of the prime minister,” he sarcastically said.

Rahul said the Tricolour its more than a piece of cloth. “Some people, they look at the flag and they see three colours, a chakra and a piece of cloth and they salute the flag. But... this is much more than that. This flag... did not come easily. It was not given to us. It was not a gift. It was earned by the Indians,” he said.

Earlier in the day, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin and his Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh counterparts Ashok Gehlot and Bupesh Baghel handed over the national flag to Rahul at Gandhi Mandapam to formally launch the yatra. Rahul also visited the Vivekananda rock memorial and the Thiruvalluvar statue off the Kumari shore.

The Gandhi scion began the day by paying floral tributes to his father and former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi at his memorial in Sriperumbudur. His mother and party president Sonia Gandhi sent her blessings, saying she would be participating in the yatra everyday through her thoughts and spirit, adding she was confident that the party would be rejuvenated.

At the public meeting, Rahul alleged that the BJP had systematically attacked farmers, labourers and small and medium businesses, which could be generators of jobs for the youth. Attacking the BJP for systematically using Central law enforcement agencies like the CBI against the Opposition, he said, “We don’t get scared... Opposition leaders are not frightened.” 

‘KUMARI BEST PLACE TO START YATRA’

Chief Minister MK Stalin, in a tweet, said the journey is to retrieve India’s soul, uphold the lofty ideals of our republic and unite the country’s people with love. “At a time when communal polarisation and vicious hate campaigns are engulfing the minds of the people, India’s grand old party has undertaken an arduous task to unshackle India from oppression.

There can be no better place than Kumari, where the Statue of Equality stands tall, to start the Bharat Jodo Yatra.” Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge, AICC general secretary in-charge KC Venugopal, former union minister P Chidambaram, TNCC president KS Alagiri and others were present with him in the public gathering. Before leading the Bharat Jodo Yatra, Rahul Gandhi, MK Stalin and others attended a prayer at the Mahatma Gandhi Mandapam in Kanniyakumari.

Four
(1) Bharat Yatris, who will walk the entire stretch. (2) Atithi Yatris from other states who can participate on some stretches. (3) Pradesh Yatris comprising leaders from states where the yatra passes by. (4) Volunteer Yatris made up of common people who want to join in

KANNIYAKUMARI:  India is heading towards disaster amid its worst-ever economic crisis and peak unemployment rate under BJP rule, warned Congress leader Rahul Gandhi at a public meeting as part of the party’s Bharat Jodo Yatra that was launched here on Wednesday. Rahul alleged that the Tricolour was under attack from the BJP and RSS, which are dividing people in the name of religion and language, just like the East India Company did to plunder their resources, adding a handful of large companies are now controlling the country.  “They control the entire nation from airports to ports to telecom and other sectors. Prime Minister Narendra Modi cannot function for a single day without their support,” he alleged. “Unfortunately the media are fully controlled. That is why on TV you would never see unemployment or price rise but only the image of the prime minister,” he sarcastically said. Rahul said the Tricolour its more than a piece of cloth. “Some people, they look at the flag and they see three colours, a chakra and a piece of cloth and they salute the flag. But... this is much more than that. This flag... did not come easily. It was not given to us. It was not a gift. It was earned by the Indians,” he said. Earlier in the day, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin and his Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh counterparts Ashok Gehlot and Bupesh Baghel handed over the national flag to Rahul at Gandhi Mandapam to formally launch the yatra. Rahul also visited the Vivekananda rock memorial and the Thiruvalluvar statue off the Kumari shore. The Gandhi scion began the day by paying floral tributes to his father and former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi at his memorial in Sriperumbudur. His mother and party president Sonia Gandhi sent her blessings, saying she would be participating in the yatra everyday through her thoughts and spirit, adding she was confident that the party would be rejuvenated. At the public meeting, Rahul alleged that the BJP had systematically attacked farmers, labourers and small and medium businesses, which could be generators of jobs for the youth. Attacking the BJP for systematically using Central law enforcement agencies like the CBI against the Opposition, he said, “We don’t get scared... Opposition leaders are not frightened.”  ‘KUMARI BEST PLACE TO START YATRA’ Chief Minister MK Stalin, in a tweet, said the journey is to retrieve India’s soul, uphold the lofty ideals of our republic and unite the country’s people with love. “At a time when communal polarisation and vicious hate campaigns are engulfing the minds of the people, India’s grand old party has undertaken an arduous task to unshackle India from oppression. There can be no better place than Kumari, where the Statue of Equality stands tall, to start the Bharat Jodo Yatra.” Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge, AICC general secretary in-charge KC Venugopal, former union minister P Chidambaram, TNCC president KS Alagiri and others were present with him in the public gathering. Before leading the Bharat Jodo Yatra, Rahul Gandhi, MK Stalin and others attended a prayer at the Mahatma Gandhi Mandapam in Kanniyakumari. Four (1) Bharat Yatris, who will walk the entire stretch. (2) Atithi Yatris from other states who can participate on some stretches. (3) Pradesh Yatris comprising leaders from states where the yatra passes by. (4) Volunteer Yatris made up of common people who want to join in