Shillong, Feb 21: Congress president, Rahul Gandhi ended his campaign in poll-bound Meghalaya where thousands of people joined a road show for “peace, prosperity, and stability” here.
Gandhi arrived in the city after campaigning at Jowai in West Jaiñtia Hills district about 63 km from here.
The road show started from Lad Mawklot, Upper Shillong till Khyndai Lad, the main commercial area in the city in which people clicked selfie and shook hands with Gandhi despite tight security.
As he moved in an open pick-up van, Gandhi greeted and waved to thousands of people who also exchanged greetings by constantly throwing petals and garlands.
Some Congress candidates as well as Congress leaders including Lok Sabha MP from Shillong, Vincent H. Pala, Rajya Sabha MP, Wansuk Syiem joined the road show with Gandhi.
At Khyndai Lad Gandhi made a brief speech where he thanked the people for showing love and affection to him and lambasted opponents especially the BJP, accusing it of trying to dominate all other ideas with “central and one-way†idea in the country.
Gnahdi said he considered Meghalaya to be a Central part of the Indian idea.
“Our opponents (the BJP) feel that Meghalaya is part of India which is their approach. Our approach is, if Meghalaya is India, then India is also Meghalaya and we believe in your idea. They (BJP) believe that the central idea should dominate all other ideas, cultures, languages, and religions. This is really our fight with them,” Gandhi told the crowds.
He said that in Meghalaya or other Northeastern states, he saw thousands of different ideas, culture, customs, and heritage and women are being treated and respected in the society.
“We want your ideas to be heard not only in Lok Sabha or Rajya Sabha but in every corner of India because we believe that with your ideas, the country can move forward. We believe that every single person working in police forces , military, doctor, lawyer, farmer or labourer or unemployed, has something to offer for this country,” the Congress president said, while stating that the people of Meghalaya or the rest of the country can sing or play any song and music but not songs like by RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat or Modi.
On attacks against Dalits and minorities including Christians, Gandhi said that the atmosphere of fear is being promoted whether in Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and other places because, the entire idea is to divide, oppress and to be nasty.
Stating that the BJP has lots of money, Gandhi said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi talked of corruption but he does not answer questions from where all the money that BJP spent in their campaigns came from.
He said that BJP offered crores of money to Churches because they think that they can buy some MLAs or they can form the government as in Goa or Manipur by buying couple of MLAs.
Gandhi also said the Prime Minister could not also spare time to condemn when churches in Madhya Pradesh are burnt, when poor Dalit or Muslim or tribal was butchered as well to spend five minutes to explain on Nirav Modi taking Rs 22,000 crore of money.
“But the Prime Minister has time to come and attempt to poison one Indian person against another. For them, violence in Kashmir, Assam, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh it does not matter as long as the BJP is in power as everything is fine,†Gandhi slammed.
He said the Congress is fighting in Meghalaya to give these people a message not only in Meghalaya but in the rest of the country.
Gandhi claimed that the Congress party is the voice of millions and millions of people of the country.
“That is what we are defending in Meghalaya. It does not matter how much money these people have, and how strong they are, we will defeat them because we are for the freedom and voice of the people of Meghalaya and the rest of the country,” he added, while assuring that he would come back and spend more time in Meghalaya and other places in the Northeast to listen to issues and problems faced by the people.
