From Our Special Correspondent
Daijiworld Media Network
Raichuru, Oct 23: With former Congress President Rahul Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Yatra completing its 21-day journey across Karnataka, the Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee chief Anumool Revant Reddy received the yatra flag from the Congrss leader at Yaramaras on the banks of river Krishna in Raichur district on Sunday.
Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee chief D K Shivakumar and Leader of Opposition in the Assembly Siddaramaiah were present when Rahul Gandhi handed over the yatra flag to Telangana leaders.
After completing the Karnataka leg of the Bharat Jodo Yatra, Rahul Gandhi has in a message thanked the people of the State and the Congress leaders for their cooperation and support while walking from the outskirts of Bandipur forest in Chamarajanagar and through the State’s cultural capital of Mysuru and finally the cotton fields of Raichur while crossing the rivers Cauvery, Tungabhadra and Krishna.
Rahul Gandhi paid homage to Karntaka’s great poet Kuvempu, who had described the State as the ‘’garden of peace and harmony for all’’ and pointed out that the unbounded potential of the people is being crippled with famers struggling and people suffering due to inflation and the youth facing bleak future with mounting unemployment.
“Small entrepreneurs are shutting shop with inadequate or no support, and a market tilted heavily in favour of a few big players. MGNREGA workers, women workers, weavers and many others are staring at shrinking incomes. Disadvantaged sections of the society and minorities face a rising tide of hatred and violence. The languages, the diverse cultures with the history of the State distorted and decimated,” he said lamenting that the ruling BJP flouting Basavanna’s teachings.
“The State that once spearheaded India’s growth story is now known all over for the ‘40% Commission’ government that exemplifies the BJP’s model of suit, boot, loot sarkar. Corruption at an unprecedented scale—pay for jobs, pay for contracts, pay for public service,’’ he said adding: “There is nothing that is not up for sale for BJP in Karnataka. The erosion of social harmony and public sector is paralysing economic progress and hitting the poor and vulnerable the hardest.’’
“The Congress party will not allow this garden of peace to be turned into a laboratory for the BJP’s experiments with hatred and misgovernance. Through the untiring efforts of our state leaders, drawing on the rich cultures of Karnataka, and the support of crores of Kannadigas that day will soon come when we will unleash Karnataka’s true potential through the path of love, peace and harmony,’’ Rahul Gandhi said in his parting message.