Cong says time to end BJP’s misrule in Gandhi’s land

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and party leader Rahul Gandhi Tuesday slammed the BJP for its 27 years of “misrule” in Gujarat and said it is time to rebuild Mahatma Gandhi’s land.

Calling upon the people to reject the BJP in the upcoming assembly polls, Kharge attacked the ruling party over inflation and unemployment while alleging that it has “betrayed” farmers.

Gandhi, on the other hand, hit out at the state government over reported deaths due to spurious liquor in Junagarh.

“In ‘dry state’ Gujarat, people died again yesterday due to spurious liquor! On one hand, there is a show-off liquor ban, on the other people are dying due to poisonous liquor and drugs. Instead of employment, the government is giving poison. This is the BJP’s ‘Gujarat model’! The land of Gandhi-Sardar has been inebriated,” Gandhi said in a tweet in Hindi.

With the tweet, he used the hashtag ‘#RejectBJP’ to urge people not to vote for the party.

There were media reports about two deaths in Gujarat’s Junagarh due to spurious liquor. In July, 42 people lost their lives in Gujarat’s Botad district after consuming hooch.

Hitting out at the BJP in Gujarat, Kharge asked, “Why is every section of Gujarat — youth, farmers, women, small businessmen, Dalits, tribals, and the backward classes — are suffering.” Gujarat demands answers and accountability for the last 27 years of BJP rule, the Congress national president said.

He alleged that the income of the people of Gujarat is less than the national average and also claimed that due to the BJP, seven crore Gujaratis have a debt of Rs 4.5 lakh crore.

“The CAG has warned that Gujarat is getting trapped in a debt cycle. The BJP has given nothing but economic burden and social hatred to the people of Gujarat,” Kharge said.

“Now is the time for a change! To root out the BJP’s 27-year misrule in Gujarat! The time has come to rebuild the Gujarat of Mahatma Gandhi, Sardar Patel, Morarji Desai, Balwantrai Mehta and Chimanbhai Patel! The Congress will come, will bring happiness to the people of Gujarat,” he said in a series of tweets.

Kharge also alleged that Gujarat suffered badly during the Covid period.

There is a huge shortage of health workers with 90 per cent of posts in community health centres vacant. Privatization initiated by the BJP is making healthcare unbearable for lakhs of people of Gujarat, he claimed.

Claiming that Dalits and Tribals in Gujarat are exploited, Kharge accused the BJP of “protecting criminals”. The Una incident, in which Dalits were publicly beaten up under the protection of the administration, shook the conscience of every Indian. Tribals were not given rights and Panchayats Extension to the Scheduled Areas (PESA) was not implemented, he alleged.

“Demonetisation, wrong GST and lack of help during the Corona period have broken the back of every section of Gujarat. People’s life has become difficult due to the constant tremors of inflation. GST has been imposed on flour, pulses, milk, pencils, medicines and from treatment.

With inputs from News18