I have come home, want to share people’s pain: Rahul Gandhi in J&K

“I am going back to the place from where my family had gone to Uttar Pradesh. When one goes to his roots, one comes across many things to learn about himself, his people and the country.”

“Bowing my head, I have entered your land and I want to tell you that whatsoever is your religion, or caste, whether poor or rich, youth or old, the country is yours and you belong to this country,” he said.

The Congress leader said that he has come to J&K to learn from the people over the next nine days and not to tell them anything. Rahul, who started walking from Kanyakumari in September, is scheduled to conclude his foot march in Srinagar on January 30.

He said the real issues facing the country today are “hatred, unemployment, rising prices and the making of two “Bharat” — one of the billionaires and the other of the poor”.

“The BJP, RSS, top billionaires of the country and the media are working as a team to divert people’s attention from the real issues,” he said, adding that “the media is only taking up issues of Hindu-Muslim and hatred”.

Accusing the BJP and the RSS of spreading hatred in the country, the Congress leader said: “I earlier thought it (hatred) ran deep but it does not and is mainly seen on television.”

“When they (media) pitch people following one religion or speaking one language against the other, they only want to divert public attention,” he said amid slogans of “Nafrat chhodo Bharat Jodo (leave hatred unite India)”.

Pointing out that the poor, farmers and the small traders are under attack, the Congress leader described “demonetisation and GST” as tools to destroy them.

He said the country is “telling a lie to its youth” by saying they can become engineer, lawyer, join the Army, or become an IAS officer. “The truth is that of the crores of children, only 1 or 2 per cent will become engineer, doctor and in today’s India, the rest will be unemployed or work as labourers,” he said.

Earlier, speaking at the event, former chief minister and National Conference president Farooq Abdullah drew a parallel between Rahul and Adi Guru Shankaracharya. “Many years ago, Shankaracharya had undertaken a yatra from Kanyakumari to Kashmir. And today you (Rahul) are doing it,” he said.

Pointing out that the Congress MP was marching to keep the country united, Abdullah, without naming anyone, expressed concern over the “politics of hate and communal divide being propagated in the country”.

“This is not Gandhi’s (Mahatma Gandhi) Bharat, or Lord Ram’s India,” he said and made a wish, “Before I close my eyes, I want to see my secular Hindustan again where everyone is respected.”

Prominent among those present on the dais with Rahul were Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, senior Congress leader Digvijaya Singh and Jairam Ramesh, Abdullah and Awami National Conference’s Muzaffar Shah. Senior J&K Congress leaders were also present.