Nongpoh (Meghalaya), Jan 22 (UNI) Congress leader Rahul Gandhi Monday attacked the BJP for partnering with the National People’s Party (NPP)-led Meghalaya Democratic Alliance government after accusing it of being the “most corrupted government in the Country”.
“There is an illegal coal transport scam as well as the Assembly Dome collapse scam. The Home Minister himself called Meghalaya's government the most corrupt government in the nation. Immediately after calling the Meghalaya government most corrupt, he partnered with it,” Gandhi said.
Addressing a public rally at the NSCA stadium at Pahamsyiem, Nongpoh as part of his 'Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra' here in Meghalaya, the Congress leader said : “We respect your culture your tradition and your heritage and we believe fundamentally that Meghalaya should be ruled from Meghalaya.”
However, Gandhi claimed, “Meghalaya is not being ruled from Meghalaya, but from New Delhi and that is not acceptable to us.”
Moreover, Gandhi said the powers of the autonomous district councils are being snatched away by the central government.
“All the work we did in decentralizing power and giving power to the people of Meghalaya is being reversed slowly. The structures that we got to protect your land, the Adivasis, locals and forests have been uprooted. The power of your autonomous councils is snatched away from them,” he said, adding that these were some of the issues being raised in the Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra besides understanding the dreams of the youngsters and difficulties faced by the farmers and the potential of the state.
On Meghalaya long-pending demand to include Khasi and Garo languages in the Eight schedule of the constitution, Gandhi said, “Twenty-two languages are included in the Eight Schedule, but your languages, Khasi and Garo have no room in that… “.
Reiterating the current political scenerio in the country, said, the constitution states that India is a union of states.
“Every state is equal and their voice is equally important. Now, the voice of Meghalaya, Manipur, Arunachal are all being attacked Your tradition, history, way of life is being attacked by the RSS. Today, the RSS is strangling the constitution, the institutional framework of India,” Gandhi argued.
“And Meghalaya is not ruled from Meghalaya, is ruled from Delhi. And as far as we are concerned, this is not acceptable,” he said.
The Congress leader further claimed that the traditions, history and way of life is being “attacked by the RSS” in the country.
Noting that the “conversation” between the states happens through the institutions of the nation, the Congress leader however said, “The RSS is strangling the Constitution and the institutional framework of India. Meghalaya is being ruled from Delhi. This is not acceptable to us.”
“The legal system the election commission these institutions protects the conversation of our states. The Constitution protects the conversation between our states and today the RSS is strangling the Constituion and the institutional framework of India,” he said.
Moreover, Gandhi said that his decision to embarked on Bharat Jodo Yatra was due to the RSS and the BJP were attacking the foundations of the country.
“The idea that all religions should live harmoniously in India, the idea that all communities, all languages, all traditions should be respected were all systematically being attacked by the RSS… And so to protect the idea of India we decided to do the Bharat Jodo Yatra from Kanyakumari to Kashmir and we walked from the sea to the mountains of Kashmir,” he explained.
Gandhi said the decision to embarked on his
'Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra' from Manipur to Maharashtra was after the growing demand from the people.
“And people asked us why you started from Manipur. And the reason is because the ideology of the RSS and BJP has destroyed the idea of Manipur. The politics of hatred and violence has torn the state apart. Hundreds of people have died, thousands of people have lost their property, and it is a complete tragedy,” he said
“.. that is why we wanted to send a message to the rest of India about the pain that the people of Manipur are feeling. It is amazing to me that the Prime Minister after many months has not even bothered to pay a visit to the people of Manipur. Is Manipur not an Indian state? Are the people of Manipur not from India? The prime minister has travelled to so many states but he refuses to go to Manipur,” he said.
“If the prime minister of India wanted to stop the violence in Manipur, he could stop it in three days. If he told the Indian army that the violence in Manipur should be stopped, I am confident that the Indian army would have stopped the violence within a matter of days,” Gandhi asserted.
However, Gandhi said, “The truth is he is not interested in stopping the violence in Manipur. The government of India is perfectly happy to allow Manipur to burn and the people of Manipur to suffer. The yatra went from Manipur to Nagaland, to Assam, Arunachal and has now come to your beautiful state. You might be smaller than Uttar Pradesh, but for us all states in the Indian Union are equally important. We do not view a child of Manipur or Meghalaya any different than we view a child of UP, Bihar or Tamil Nadu,” he said.
“We respect your culture, tradition, languages. And we believe fundamentally that Meghalaya should be ruled from Meghalaya,” the Congress leader iterated.
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