Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Monday slammed the Bharatiya Janata Party, accusing them of “not inviting” Dalits, backward classes, or even the President of India to the Ram temple consecration ceremony in Ayodhya, reiterating it as an insult.
Addressing a gathering during the ‘Bharat Jodo Nyaya Yatra’ in Rampur Khas Assembly constituency, Gandhi stated, “By inviting industrialists and Amitabh Bachchan to the consecration ceremony of the Ram temple, Modi gave the message that the country’s 73 percentage of people has no importance,” as PTI reported.
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Continuing his criticism, he accused the saffron party of sidelining Dalits, backward classes, and tribals, asserting that preference was given to capitalists. Gandhi claimed that Modi’s policies favoured the wealthy at the expense of farmers, leading to economic disparities.
“Modi is filling the pockets of the rich by cutting the pockets of the farmers. In the name of religion, work is being done to spread hatred in the country. The government is failing to provide employment to the youth and security for women in the country. Modi’s agencies like the ED and CBI are puppets, which are being used to threaten opposition parties,” he said.
Upon his arrival at Lalganj Indira Chowk, Gandhi was welcomed by Congress leaders, including Rajya Sabha member Pramod Tiwari, MLA Aradhna Mishra Mona, and Congress’ Minority Department national president Imran Pratapgarhi, along with numerous party workers.
Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra to halt
Meanwhile, Jairam Ramesh, Congress General Secretary in charge of Communications, announced that the Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra would be temporarily halted on Tuesday morning. This decision comes as Congress Leader Rahul Gandhi has been summoned to appear before the District Civil Court in Sultanpur in connection with a defamation case.
In a social media post on X, the Congress General Secretary stated that the Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra, currently in its 37th day, will pause on Tuesday morning and resume at 2 pm from Fursatganj in Amethi.
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“Rahul Gandhi has been issued a summons to appear in the District Civil Court in Sultanpur tomorrow, February 20th, morning in connection with a defamation case filed by a BJP leader on August 4th, 2018. The Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra will, therefore, pause tomorrow morning and will resume the February 20th program at 2 pm from Fursatganj in Amethi,” the Congress leader posted on X.
The defamation case, filed by BJP leader Vijay Mishra in 2018, accuses Gandhi of making “objectionable” comments against Union Home Minister Amit Shah at a press conference in Bengaluru. The comments referred to the BJP’s alleged involvement in a murder case during the tenure of then-party president Amit Shah. Four years prior to Gandhi’s statement, Shah was discharged by a special CBI court in Mumbai in connection with a 2005 fake encounter case when he was the Minister of State for Home in Gujarat.