Media notices my T-shirt, but ignores poor farmers, labourers in torn clothes: Rahul Gandhi
Baghpat (UP), Jan 4: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday said the purpose of party's 'Bharat Jodo Yatra' is to remove fear from the people's minds and highlight issues like price rise and unemployment.
Amid raging talks about his wearing T-shirt in the winter during the yatra, Gandhi said the media is highlighting his attire but "taking no notice of the poor farmers and labourers walking along with him in torn clothes".
Addressing a 'nukkad sabha' (street corner meeting) at Baraut on Baghpat-Shamli border during the yatra, Gandhi said despite covering a distance of more than 3,000 kms on foot in 110 days, he is neither feeling tired nor sizzling in the cold in T-shirt.
Taking potshots at the media, he said, "I call them 'mitra' (friend) but they are not performing the duty of a friend as they do not raise the real issues out of fear of their bosses."
"Since the media is not highlighting the issues of people, we thought of raising matters relating to demonetisation, wrong GST, price rise, unemployment in the Parliament, but there the mike was switched off. So we thought let's walk from Kanyakumari to Kashmir, listen to the people," the former Congress chief said.
He said the focus of the 'Bharat Jodo Yatra' is to remove 'dar' (fear) from the people's minds and raise the issue of price rise and unemployment.
After a brief address at the meeting, Gandhi left for Delhi.
The UP leg of 'Bharat Jodo Yatra' will resume Thursday morning from Shamli from where it will enter Haryana.
The Bharat Jodo Yatra, which started from Kanyakumari on September 7, will end with the hoisting of the national flag by Gandhi in Srinagar on January 30.
Over the 108 days, the march has covered 49 districts in nine states and one Union Territory Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Haryana, and Delhi.
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Armed robbers kill two security guards in Bidar, loot Rs 93 lakh cash meant for ATM
Bidar (PTI): Bike-borne armed robbers shot dead two security guards before decamping with Rs 93 lakh cash meant for filling the SBI ATM in the district headquarters town of Bidar on Thursday, police said.
Police identified the deceased as Giri Venkatesh and Shiva Kashinath. They were the staff of CMS Agency. The staff had come to the ATM located on the busy Shivaji Chowk to fill the cash at 11.30 am, they said.
Sources said the robbers fired eight rounds to execute their crime. Soon after the incident, police rushed to the spot and barricaded all the roads nearby. Police have formed teams to nab the culprits.
