Hindu-Muslim hatred being spread 24x7 to divert from real issues: Rahul Gandhi
New Delhi, Dec 24: The Congress' show of strength was on display in the national capital on Saturday with its Bharat Jodo Yatra as Rahul Gandhi launched an all-out attack on the BJP for its "politics of fear and hatred".
The "real India" stands for love and amity and not hatred, the former Congress chief said as the Yatra on its 108th day entered Delhi from Haryana through Badarpur and passed the busy Mathura road, Ashram, India Gate, ITO and culminated outside the Red Fort, the entire stretch dotted with party flags and posters.
The day also saw the Gandhi family walk together for some time before its morning halt near Ashram Chowk, with former party chief Sonia Gandhi along with her daughter Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and her family joining the march. This is the second time Sonia Gandhi has joined the Yatra in which she took part in early October in Mandya, Karnataka.
Delhi police personnel were deployed in strength to manage the large crowds and barricades were placed along the routes. Traffic was thrown out of gear at a number of places.
As the Yatra reached a climactic point, the opposition party asserted that nothing can prevent it from moving forward and the BJP should "stop playing politics in the garb of the Covid pandemic" to stall the march.
Addressing a rally outside Red Fort, Rahul Gandhi accused the BJP of spreading communal hatred across the country to divert the attention of people from real issues and use it as a "weapon" to destroy the poor.
Gandhi said he did not witness violence or hatred anywhere in the country while walking hundreds of kilometres from Kanyakumari to Delhi and his Yatra was a true reflection of India, but he sees hatred being spread on television all the time at the behest of the powers controlling the media.
"Even dogs, cows, buffaloes, pigs entered the yatra, but no one attacked them. There is no hatred, violence during the yatra. If anyone fell, people picked them up in a second. This is real India," he noted.
The former Congress chief attacked Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), alleging they spent thousands of crores of rupees to destroy his image, but he has shown the truth to the country in just a month.
Gandhi thanked people for the love and support showered on him so far during the Bharat Jodo Yatra, which entered its 108th day on Saturday and will resume on January 3 after a nine-day break.
The Yatra has so far traversed around 2800 kms through ten states, after it started from Kanyakumari on September 7.
Actor-turned-politician Kamal Hassan joined the Yatra at ITO and later shared the stage with Rahul Gandhi at the Red Fort.
Hassan said he joined the Yatra after hearing his 'inner voice' to save the country from hatred. Rahul Gandhi also paid a visit to the Hazrat Nizamuddin Dargah on the way and offered a 'chadar' there.
He will visit the memorials of Mahatma Gandhi and former prime ministers Jawaharlal Nehru, Lal Bahadur Shastri, Indira Gandhi, Rajiv Gandhi and Atal Bihari Vajpayee on Sunday morning to pay homage to them, as he could not visit them Saturday evening.
At the rally, Rahul Gandhi alleged that hatred in the name of Hindu-Muslim is being spread through television 24x7 to divert the attention of people from the real issues.
"When we started this yatra from Kanyakumari, we started with the aim of uniting people and ending nafrat (hatred). I felt there was hatred spread everywhere but when I started walking I realised the truth was otherwise.
"TV channels are spreading hatred and doing Hindu-Muslim, Hindu-Muslim all the time, 24 hours. But, this is not true as this is spread in the media. This country is one and everyone loves each other and embraces each other, there is no hatred," he told a big gathering at the Red Fort.
"The media never talks about love. There is a reason behind this as this is being done to divert your attention. They do this Hindu-Muslim 24 hours on television, to take away your money and hand it over and sell all your ports, airports, roads and other assets to their crony friends," he said.
"This is not a Narendra Modi government, it is the Ambani-Adani government," Gandhi alleged as the audience clapped.
Gandhi said the BJP has raised the issue of religion and asked where it was written in the Hindu religion "to crush the poor and weak people" as he has not read this anywhere in the Gita or the Upanishads.
He said, "These people are spreading fear among farmers, youth, small shopkeepers, women, and small and medium businessmen.
"But, Shiv ji has said 'Daro mat'. Hindu religion says 'Daro mat' but these people are 24 hours trying to spread fear in the country," he said.
The Congress leader said when he entered politics in 2004, the media praised him but turned against him after he raised the issue of farmers' land in Bhatta Parsaul.
"Thousands of crores are being given to big industrialists but not to common people. These are not policies, but weapons to destroy small businessmen, traders, farmers," he said.
Gandhi wrapped up his speech with a flying kiss to his supporters while thanking them for showering so much love on him.
"I had said in Rajasthan in my speech, in this market of hatred, we will open shops to spread love. You have opened lakhs of shops for spreading love," he said
Addressing a gathering as the Bharat Jodo Yatra entered Delhi this morning, he said, "They spread hatred, we spread love and embrace all Indians".
"There is Hindustan and 'Mohabbat' (love) in this Bharat Jodo yatra, which does not see any caste, creed, religion, rich or poor and all embrace each other," he told the gathering.
"RSS/BJP's all policies are to spread fear. They want that everyone should have fear in them and they convert this 'dar' into 'nafrat' (fear into hatred). If there is no 'dar', it will not be converted into 'nafrat'. We say 'daro mat'. We spread Mohabbat. We embrace all Indians," Gandhi said.
He tweeted a picture of embracing his mother and said in Hindi, "The love that I have received from her, I am sharing the same with the country."
Gandhi also shared a picture with Hassan on Twitter and said, "We walk for an India where no one lives in fear, and everyone finds a better future."
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and former party chief Sonia Gandhi were present during his speech outside the Red Fort.
Kharge alleged that the government is dividing society on the basis of religion and is throttling the freedom of speech and expression. He said the Yatra does not have any political aim but sought to unite India. He also accused the prime minister of not wearing masks himself and of trying to stall the Yatra on the pretext of Covid.
Congress leaders earlier said that the BJP has failed in its every attempt to defame Rahul Gandhi and derail the yatra so mehow as people from across the country including Delhi are overwhelmingly extending their support.
"Covid and health are serious issues and the BJP should not make them a tool of their politics," AICC media and publicity in-charge Pawan Khera told reporters at the Ashram Chowk.
"If you have the courage to stop the Yatra, do so. We will follow all rules and protocols, if any, with regard to Covid," he said.
The yatra started from Kanyakumari in Tamil Nadu on September 7. It will take a nine-day winter break and restart on January 3.
मैं 2800 कि.मी चल कर दिल्ली आया हूं। हर दिल में मोहब्बत देखी है।
— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) December 24, 2022
मीडिया 24 घंटे ‘हिन्दू-मुस्लिम, हिन्दू-मुस्लिम’ कर के ध्यान भटकाती है, ताकि प्रधानमंत्री आपकी जेब काट कर अपने मालिकों की जेब भर सकें। pic.twitter.com/JIBa5km7El
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Kerala school declares two-day holiday amid row over student wearing hijab
Kochi (PTI): A private school run by a Christian management in Palluruthy here was compelled to declare a two-day holiday on Monday following an escalation of a dispute with the parents of an eighth-standard student over her wearing a hijab.
A school PTA official alleged that the parents were backed by the Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI), a pro-Islamist political outfit, and that its members misbehaved with the school authorities, who are mostly nuns.
SDPI has not yet responded to the allegations.
The issue came to light after a letter issued by Sister Heleena Alby, Principal of St Rita’s Public School, announcing holidays on Monday and Tuesday, surfaced on social media.
In the letter, the principal said that due to pressure from a student who came without the prescribed uniform, her parents, certain individuals not associated with the school, a few students and staff members sought leave, citing mental stress.
As a result, the decision to declare holidays on October 13 and 14 was taken after consulting the executive members of the Parent-Teacher Association (PTA), the letter said.
"We aim to provide quality education in accordance with the freedoms guaranteed by the country and the rights of school managements, and we expect your continued cooperation," it added.
PTA member Joshi Kaithavalappil told PTI that the school has followed a uniform dress code for the past 30 years and that students from all communities have adhered to it.
"However, the parents of one student insisted on sending her with her head covered. Recently, they arrived at the school with a group and created a scene, causing panic among students and teachers. Hence, we decided to declare a two-day holiday," he said.
Kaithavalappil said the school management had approached the Kerala High Court seeking police protection and received a favourable order. "The people who came to the school claimed they were from SDPI and did not behave properly with the sisters," he alleged.
Addressing the media, the girl’s father said his daughter joined the school only this academic year.
"The school claims equality was affected because she wore a shawl over her head. Earlier, she was asked to remove it inside the classroom, but now they have started objecting even at the school gate," he said.
He added that he had filed complaints with the District Education Officer and the concerned minister. "If they don’t allow her to cover her head, we will move her to another school."
Principal Sister Heleena told reporters that one student had raised concerns about maintaining uniformity at the school.
She said the school has a prescribed dress code, and the student’s parents were informed about it at the time of admission.
"The student had no objection to the uniform for nearly four months. But recently, she started wearing an additional garment over it," she said.
The principal said that earlier, the student used to keep the extra garment in her bag. "Recently, the student’s mother approached us, and we reminded her about the directions given at the time of admission," she said.
The principal added that on October 10, the student came wearing the same garment. She was then taken to the conference room in the presence of a teacher, and her parents were called.
"The parent, accompanied by around six persons, reached the school and created a scene here. They recorded videos during school hours while other students were watching," Heleena said.
Heleena added that officials from the Education Department came and conducted an inquiry on Monday.
She further said there were other reasons for declaring holidays. "Teachers and staff were a bit tense and needed a break. Moreover, students were granted leave to prepare for exams starting on Wednesday. The school will reopen that day," she said.
Meanwhile, General Education Minister V Sivankutty said that attire altering the prescribed school uniform will not be permitted and that the uniform is equally applicable to all students.
He added that school managements should handle such issues with a sense of responsibility and avoid actions that could escalate the situation.
The minister also said that he has not yet fully understood the matter and has directed the District Education Officer (DEO) to conduct an inquiry.
BJP leader Shone George visited the school on Monday and met with the management in the evening.
"We have expressed our support to the church and the sisters here. The BJP will ensure legal and political backing for the smooth functioning of the school," he said.
George alleged that the SDPI was attempting to inject communal sentiments among children and urged the outfit to desist from such actions.
He also criticised other political parties for remaining silent on the issue. "No other political leaders have come forward when the SDPI threatened the nuns. The Congress MPs and MLAs who raise their voice over incidents in Chhattisgarh and North Indian states are not seen here. Will they respond only when the sisters in North India face problems?"
