BJP luring youth, but voice of Gujarat can’t be bought: Rahul

Manas Dasgupta

Gandhinagar, October 23

Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi today accused the BJP of indulging in corrupt practices to lure the emerging young leaders in Gujarat with money and said “the voice of Gujarat” could not be “suppressed or purchased” with any amount of money in the world.

Quoting PM Narendra Modi’s famous monologue: “Na khaunga na khane dunga”, (neither will I indulge in corruption nor allow others to get corrupted), Rahul said the same person had now started “offering money” to buy leaders. His apparent reference was the turmoil caused in the state late last night following disclosure by a young Patidar leader Narendra Patel that the BJP had offered him Rs1 crore to join the party and had also given him an advance of Rs10 lakh with the promise to hand over the remaining amount when he joins the party formally today.

Meanwhile, the Samajwadi Party has decided to contest five seats and support the Congress on the remaining, said party chief Akhilesh Yadav. He said his party had decided not to contest more seats as it did not want to weaken the secular forces.

Rahul was addressing a rally of the “Other Backward Classes” organised by OBC Manch convener Alpesh Thakore who formally joined the Congress in the presence of state party president Bharat Solanki, party in-charge of the Gujarat affairs Ashok Gehlot and a host of other leaders. Patidar leader Hardik Patel and Dalit leader Jignesh Mevani were also scheduled to join the party today but preferred to stay away after meeting Rahul just before the OBC rally. Congress sources said they stayed away as today’s rally was an “OBC show” and were expected to join the party at a later stage.

Rahul referred to the two as vibrant young leaders who speak for the people of Gujarat and could not be won over by money or force. “Whatsoever you may try, you may offer them money, but you cannot suppress or purchase the voice of Gujarat,” he said.

Referring to the agitations by Patels, OBCs and Dalits, he said Gujarat was on the boil because of the BJP’s 22-year “misrule”. Drawing a parallel to freedom movement, he said: “The British had tried to suppress the voice of Gujarat (Mahatma Gandhi and Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel) but then superpower had to go,” apparently saying that this time it would be the turn of the BJP to go having tried to “suppress the voice of Gujarat”.

“Almost everyone is agitating,” he said, adding that Modi had “harassed” them so much that howsoever one may try to buy peace now, people would not remain quiet.