Chandigarh: Stressing that each Manmohan Singh and Sonia Gandhi have made their place “very clear” prior to now, Congress chief Rahul Gandhi Tuesday asserted that he “absolutely endorsed” their statements, within the gentle of the Akalis looking for his apology for Operation Blue Star.
The Gandhi scion additionally struck a be aware of reconciliation, saying that he had nice “love and affection” for Punjabis and respect for the Sikh group.
Addressing a press convention in Hoshiarpur, Rahul mentioned that former prime minister Manmohan Singh in addition to former Congress president Sonia Gandhi had made their place over Operation Blue Star.
Whereas Singh had apologised within the Rajya Sabha in 2005 over Operation Blue Star, Sonia in 1998 had regretted the military motion at Golden Temple.
Because the Bharat Jodo Yatra entered its Punjab leg on 10 January, Rahul more and more confronted assaults from the Shiromani Akali Dal which demanded an apology from him for Operation Blue Star and likewise sought a proof for the alleged function of the Congress get together within the anti-Sikh pogroms within the aftermath of Indira Gandhi’s assassination. The 2 occasions nonetheless hit a uncooked nerve among the many Sikh group.
To a media question concerning the Congress get together’s “reconciliation” with the Sikhs, Rahul mentioned he had nice “love and affection” for Punjabis and respect for the Sikh group. “India wouldn’t be India had it not been for the Sikh group. They are the spine of this nation,” he added.
Relating to his get together’s abysmal efficiency within the Punjab elections, he mentioned the erstwhile Congress authorities confronted enormous anti-incumbency for which the get together paid a worth.
The Congress chief was referring to four-and-a-half-year rule underneath former chief minister Amarinder Singh who was changed by the get together excessive command simply six months forward of the Punjab polls.
When identified that his candidate Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi and the then Congress president Navjot Singh Sidhu had been working at cross functions within the run as much as the elections, Rahul mentioned: “Small points between leaders are resolvable if the general public is with you.”
In a solution to a media question concerning the exodus of prime leaders, together with Amarinder Singh, to the BJP resulting in a management disaster, Rahul asserted his get together in Punjab was a lot better off with out the “riff-raff” that had exited.
The get together was in good fingers in Punjab and through his yatra within the state he had witnessed an equal quantity of enthusiasm proper from senior leaders to get together employees, Rahul added.
In response to a query about Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann’s tweet that the Congress excessive command had managed the state by changing Amarinder with Channi, Rahul mentioned Punjab can by no means be run from Delhi.
“Punjab must be run from Punjab. Punjabi pleasure by no means accepts management by Delhi, and the Congress get together respects that,” he asserted.
When requested about the issue of drug dependancy in Punjab, Rahul mentioned the answer lay in coping with the issue immediately as additionally not directly by working in the direction of ending unemployment and farmer misery.
“Punjab wants a brand new imaginative and prescient. Punjab gave a possibility to AAP pondering that they’d a brand new imaginative and prescient however they’ve failed. Wherever I’m going folks inform me that they’re upset in AAP,” he added.
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‘Will hug Varun however…’
When requested if his Bharat Jodo Yatra modified him sufficient to finish his variations together with his cousin Varun Gandhi, Rahul mentioned he would meet him affectionately and even hug him however he won’t ever be capable of share his ideology. “My ideology doesn’t match his. I can not go right into a RSS workplace. For that you’ll have to minimize my throat,” he mentioned.
To a query concerning RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat’s remark that Hindus had been at battle for the previous 1,000 years, Rahul mentioned the Hinduism he studied was not a faith of battle and hatred.
“The Hinduism that I’ve learn from the Gita and Upanishads doesn’t educate anybody hatred. It’s a faith that teaches love and compassion. He (Bhagwat) isn’t speaking about Hinduism, he’s speaking about RSS’s thought of Hinduism.”.
When requested if the yatra modified him in any means, Rahul mentioned he felt humbled strolling on the roads of India.
“One of many largest realisations has been that India is a rustic of extraordinarily resilient and powerful folks. The folks of India are capable of undergo any hardship with a smile and it’s a tragedy that we’re losing this potential.
“Just one per cent of India owns 40 per cent of its property. This isn’t simply unfair. Additionally it is stifling the expansion of this nation. We’re heading into accidents on a number of fronts, be it unemployment, worth rise or earnings inequality,” the previous Congress president noticed.
The BJP had not simply created an setting of hatred and divisiveness but in addition destroyed the independence of establishments, he mentioned. “Now the battle isn’t between one political get together and one other prefer it needs to be in a democracy, it’s between the opposition and these establishments that are in charge of the BJP. These embody the media, the ED, the CBI and the Election Fee.”
When requested why he was continuously attacking the media, Rahul identified that his goal was these media homes which had been engaged in distracting the general public from actual points. “The questions that have to be requested are about unemployment, farmers, small industries however the questions are requested about Aishwarya Rai and Shah Rukh Khan.”
(Edited by Tony Rai)
Additionally Learn: Bharat Jodo Yatra has remodeled Rahul’s picture. However no assure of electoral victory