Rahul Gandhi visits Saharanpur, accuses Modi of harassing Dalits & minorities

On his visit to Saharanpur to meet the families of the victims, Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi blamed Prime Minister Narendra led BJP government for increasing instances of violence against  marginalised sections across the country. Accusing the BJP government of spreading fear in India, the Gandhi scion claimed that this ruling dispensation is working only for the powerful while all others are being harassed.

“Dalits, minorities, poor and farmers are being harassed by this government that listens only to the powerful. This government works only for the ones in suit-boot,” said the Congress vice president in Saharanpur.

A day after being denied permission to go to the strife-torn district, Rahul left for Saharanpur to meet the families of the victims who died in the clashes between Thakurs and Dalits. Four people have died and more than two dozen have been injured in the clashes between members of the two communities.

The Congress vice president was not allowed to visit Shabbirpur that is the epicenter of the violence. While interacting with the media at the UP-Haryana border, the Gandhi scion said that he wanted to visit the village and the hospital where the injured are being treated but was denied by the district administration.

“The administration told me today that the moment situation improves they will take me to the village and that is why I am going back. It is the duty of the chief minister and administration to protect UP's weaker sections but that is not happening,” he said. During his visit, he met and interacted with families of some of the victims.

Earlier on Firday, as news of Gandhi's visit trickled in, there was no confusion in the state administration that the Congress vice president would not be allowed. Speaking to Catch, state home secretary Mani Prasad Mishra said, “We have already announced that no politician from Lucknow or Delhi would be allowed till we are confident that the situation is normal. I would very humbly request that being a leader of a national political party, he should reconsider his decision to visit the district.”

In fact, all the top officials, who were camping in Saharanpur, were supposed to leave for Lucknow on Friday but were advised to remain there in wake of Gandhi's visit. Meanwhile, BJP MLA Kunwar Brijesh Singh, also a Thakur, managed to go to Shabeerpur defying the administration's diktat of not allowing politicians to enter the area. The local officials expressed helplessness when questioned about his visit.

During his visit, the Congress vice president took the opportunity to attack the Narendra Modi government that is celebrating three years in office with much pomp and show, splurging crores. Taking potshots at the government for increasing instances of violence against Dalits and minorities, Gandhi pointed that in today's India there is no place for the poor and weaker sections. He said, “Dalits are bing harassed. Such incidents are not confined to only Saharanpur and are happening across India. Rohit Vemula was harassed and everyday crores of people are being harassed by this government. The government's duty is to protect its citizens but that is not happening.”

On the question of a review of the three years of Modi government, the Gandhi scion labelled it as a failure and said that the Prime Minister and BJP leaders are only indulging in tall promises. Blaming the government for the rising unemployment in the country, he said, “Three years ago Modiji promised India's youth that he would provide 2 crore jobs each year, but where are the jobs. The employment rate is highest in the last 60 years.”

During his discussion with the media, Gandhi raised the issue of Kashmir and accused the prime minister of letting anti-national elements gain a foothold in Jammu and Kashmir. “J&K is burning. We worked 10 years to bring restore peace in the Valley but not violence is gaining foothold in the state. Modiji is giving foothold to anti-national forces are gaining foothold in the region. This is what is happening,” Gandhi said.

He went on to add that whenever there is peace in the Valley, the country benefits and when instances of violence increase, Pakistan benefits. “This is what Modiji is doing,” he claimed.

Meanwhile, other Congress leaders have been trying to reach Saharanpur to meet people but have been denied permission. On Friday, Congress leader Kumari Selja, a Dalit, tried to enter the district but wasnt allowed by the district administration. Another Dalit leader from the Congress, PL Punia, did manage to enter the district but was confined to the circuit house and wasn't allowed to move out.

Reports suggest that Samajwadi Party president and former chief minister Akhilesh Yadav too has expressed desire to visit Saharanpur but was also denied permission. The state administration is cautious of visits by politicians since they feel the situation worsened after BSP supremo Mayawati held a public meeting in Saharanpur. Top state officials claimed that they were kept in the dark about Mayawati's visit by the district administration and that if they had known, the visit would have been cancelled too.