Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday, 14 April, called BJP a party that had nothing to offer except hatred and violence while addressing his first election rally in West Bengal’s Darjeeling ahead of the fourth phase of the state’s Assembly elections.
“They (BJP) want to destroy and divide Bengal, they are doing the same thing in Assam and Tamil Nadu.”
He added, “People of Assam say their history and culture are being attacked. Wherever BJP, RSS go, hatred starts to intensify.”
Mocking BJP's, slogan to build 'Sonar Bangla' (Golden Bengal) as a 'mirage' he said that the saffron party has nothing to offer except for hatred, violence and dividing people on the basis of language, religion, caste and creed.
Taking a dig at Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, Gandhi said that his party (INC) would never align with the BJP and the RSS, unlike the TMC, which in the past had been an alliance partner of the saffron party-led NDA.
Criticising 'cut money' culture in Bengal, Gandhi said, "You gave an opportunity to TMC. But they failed. People of the state have to venture out in search of jobs. This is the only state where you have to pay cut money to get jobs."
Gandhi also ridiculed TMC's poll slogan 'Khela Hobe' and said that serving people and playing games in this regard are not the same.
"We have never aligned with the BJP and the RSS. Our fight is not just political, but ideological as well. For Mamata ji, it is just a political fight," he said.
Congress is contesting 92 of the 294 seats in agreement with the Communist Party of India CPI(M)-led Left Front. CPI(M) leaders were also invited to the party’s rallies.
Current COVID Situation:
In view of the COVID surge in India, Gandhi was quoted as saying, “Last year in February, all Congress leaders and I collectively told the PM that India is going to be affected by COVID. You start preparing to save economy, migrant labourers and small-scale industries. But the press mocked me and said that I was trying to scare people.”
Further criticising the Prime Minister, Gandhi said, “Narendra Modi said ‘bhaio-beheno’, beat thaali, COVID will go away. He said ‘ghanti bajaao’. After that, he asked people to take out their mobile phones and switch on flashlights. This man is the PM of India. Rather than helping labourers, he asked them to ring bells.”
(With inputs from ANI)
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