BJP criticises Rahul Gandhi’s ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’

KOCHI, (PTI): The BJP on Monday hit out against Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, on a 3,500-km long Bharat Jodo Yatra, by saying he was meeting people who have a history of speaking out against the motherland.

Tarun Chugh, national general secretary of the BJP, who met reporters here, asked whether such meetings of Gandhi was part of an agenda to destabilize the country.

”Rahul Gandhi has met people who had a history of speaking out against the motherland, nation’s PM… Is this part of an agenda to destabilize/weaken this great country which is progressing day after day under Narendra Modi,” Chugh said in a statement.

Chugh criticised Gandhi for not opening the memorial of two freedom fighters from Kerala.

”…during his yatra, he had agreed to inaugurate smrithi mandapams, memorials of two prominent freedom fighters of Kerala, ie of Sri P Gopinathan Nair and K E Mammen. But at the last moment he said ‘no’. Rahul had time to meet people with anti-national posture but was unwilling to devote a few minutes for those who lived for the country,” the BJP leader said.

The memorial was set to be inaugurated this morning but sources close to the Congress party said Gandhi could not come for the event as there was no security clearance.

A video went viral wherein KPCC president K Sudhakaran, senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor and others were discussing the inability of Gandhi to reach for the inauguration.

Chugh asked Gandhi to explain what he has gained from the yatra that was nearing a week.

The BJP leader claimed that Kerala’s economy has deteriorated and the State government was planning to close down the treasury. ”All this despite the wholehearted support from Modi government at the Centre. I would like to recall that no State government, including non-BJP governments, has a complaint that they didn’t get what they deserved from the Centre,” he said. He further said no State or any government can survive on loans.

He said the culture and social reforms in Kerala were being crushed by Leftists. (PTI)