Janjivan Bureau / New Delhi : Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Monday said the entire Opposition would unite to dislodge the BJP government from power as he targeted Prime Minister Narendra Modi for “dividing” the country.
However, the BJP accused the Congress-led Opposition parties leading the Bharat Bandh against the rise in fuel prices of “creating fear through violence” as the “common man was not supporting ” the bandh, which was a “failure”.
Addressing a gathering of Opposition leaders at the Ram Lila grounds as part of the Bharat Bandh against the soaring fuel costs, Gandhi said the BJP was dividing people on the basis of religion, caste and states.
“Narendra Modi used to say nothing has happened in 70 years. Indeed what he has done in four years has never happened in 70 years. Wherever you see, one Indian is fighting against the other. Wherever you go, they divide people. One religion against another, one caste against another and one state against another.”
Gandhi said petrol and diesel prices are rising and the PM is silent. Farmers are committing suicides and the PM is not speaking, he added..
He said BJP leaders are involved in rapes and yet the PM is silent. The Congress leader attacked the PM saying the latter was not saying what the nation wanted to hear.
Taking heart from the presence of opposition leaders during the protest, Gandhi said it was commendable that such a gathering of opposition leaders had happened, adding, “We promise you we will together dislodge the BJP.”
NCP chief Sharad Pawar and Loktantrik Janata Dal leader Sharad Yadav were the seniormost Opposition leaders who participated in the Bharat Bandh.
The SP and BSP didn’t join the Delhi gathering of opposition leaders. AAP was represented by Sanjay Singh and rest of the parties sent second-rung leaders.
Congress leaders were in full presence with UPA chief Sonia Gandhi, former PM Manmohan Singh, Ahmed Patel, Ghulam Nabi Azad and Ashok Gehlot being there at the Ram Lila grounds.
Earlier, Manmohan Singh said the time to remove the BJP government from power was nearing.
Meanwhile, defending the rising fuel prices, Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said, “They (common people) know it is momentary and out of the government’s hand.”
“In democracy, protests are welcome, but should they be done through violence,” Prasad questioned, asking Congress president Rahul Gandhi whether he would take the responsibility of the death of a girl in Bihar as the ambulance could not reach her in time.
“We were also in Opposition but never resorted to violence,” he said, accusing the Congress of creating fear among people who “knew the real reasons why the fuel prices were rising”.
“The bandh is a complete failure. Fear is being created through violence, setting petrol pumps on fire, breaking the vehicles. Who is responsible for the death of a child and the mindless violence? Will Rahul Gandhi take the responsibility? Even during bandhs medicine shops are not shut and ambulances not targeted,” Prasad said.
Prasad claimed that the “people of the country were indifferent to the bandh because they knew the fuel price rise was because of reasons out of the control of the government”.
“They know it is momentary trouble and out of the government’s hand. The common man is not supporting the bandh, which is why the Congress and the supporting parties are resorting to violence.
