From Our Special Correspondent
Daijiworld Media Network

Bengaluru, Oct 8: Former Congress President Rahul Gandhi, who has completed 30 days of his five-month-long Bharat Jodo Yatra, on Saturday rejected BJP’s charge that the next Congress President will be under the ‘remote control’ of his family and affirmed that both the candidates in the October 17 polls are quite capable and will not work under the control of anybody.

The two candidates – M Mallikarjuna Kharge and Shashi Tharoor – are different and very able, he said in his interaction with media persons at Turuvekere in Tumkuru district on Saturday.

Gandhi, however, made it clear that he would not like to speak much on the election when the two candidates are busy campaigning.

The former Congress president said the main objective of the 3,500 km plus Bharat Jodo Yatra from Kanyakumari to Kashmir is to highlight the problems of the people and were not aimed at the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.

The country is being emotionally divided with violence, anger and vendetta, he said pointing out that unity of the country is of paramount importance.

The Congress leader said a few individuals have become rich at the cost of the vast majority of the people and economic inequality and disparities were widening. While more and more people are falling below the poverty line and small and medium industries are shutting down, the wealth of some individuals was growing. Poverty, inequality and unemployment were mounting and the life of ordinary people has become difficult, he said.

Answering questions, Gandhi said BJP has no justification for criticising the Bharat Jodo Yatra or attacking the Nehru-Gandhi family for being responsible for the country’s partition.

“Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel and several other Congress leaders had fought against the British and struggled for the country’s Independence besides suffering jail terms. The RSS had supported the British and Savarkar had collaborated with British and took their help. It is the Congress which is responsible for the country’s Independence and for the Constitution and ushered in Green Revolution. But the BJP is spreading hatred and enmity and dividing the country. Under the BJP rule, inflation, poverty and unemployment is rising. People are fed up with BJP rule,’’ he said.

Rahul Gandhi asserted that the Congress party in the State is united and there is no infighting. “Congress is not an authoritarian party and has several able and competent leaders. We will decide on our next Chief Minister after the elections after discussions in the party forum,’’ he said.

The former Congress leader felt that he was convinced of Congress party’s victory in the assembly elections and said the people are in favour of Congress as they are angry with BJP over corruption, 40% commission, price rise and unemployment.

On BJP’s charge that Congress leaders have no right to speak on the 40% commission when they themselves were out on bail, Gandhi said the party will successfully handle the court cases and was not afraid of the misuse of official machinery and Central agencies by RSS and BJP.

Rahul Gandhi said he was always in favour of ideology and principles, which BJP and RSS are unable to tolerate. “They have spent thousands of crores of rupees over the last several years to malign me. But I am not worried about that,’’ he said the Bharat Jodo Yatra is his attempt to go nearer the people to understand them and let the people know him.

“The Yatra is a learning experience. I feel I am closer to people and have developed intimacy and personal touch in his interactions with people of all sections during the last 31 days. This is only the beginning. I will continue my efforts to raise the issues of the people,’’ he said.

He attacked the Narendra Modi government over its mishandling of the Chinese aggression over the last two years.

Rahul Gandhi said he saw nothing wrong in Rajasthan government allowing Adani group to invest Rs 67,00 crore in the State and pointed out that any Chief Minister would always welcome investments in their States. The Rajasthan government has not offered any special preference or misused its power, he said.

KPCC Chief D K Shivakumar, Congress opposition leader in the assembly Siddaramaiah, AICC Media chief Jairam Ramesh, KPCC media cell convenor Priyank Kharge and others accompanied Rahul Gandhi.