In Punjab, Rahul Gandhi says 'Navjot Singh Sidhu will get some role in Congress'

Tribune News Service

Deepkamal Kaur

Jalandhar, January 17

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday said country's institutions is being controlled by the RSS and BJP, adding that there was 'pressure' on media, bureaucracy, EC and judiciary.

Rahul Gandhi said: “Punjab can be run from Punjab only. If it is run from Delhi, then people of the state will not accept it.”

On aligning with Varun Gandhi, Rahul said, "My ideology does not match with him. He is in BJP. You will have to cut my throat to make me enter the RSS office. I do not hate him. I can hug him."

He was seemingly emotional and slow in answering.

He said: “Punjab needed a new vision to start. My complaint with Punjab government is that they have not been able to give any vision. People are complaining that their expectations are not being fulfilled. A long term vision will be given to Punjab by the Congress.”

He said: “People are angry with the BJP, I have felt this during my yatra. India would not have been India had there been no Sikhs.”

He said: “I endorse what ex-PM Manmohan Sinngh and Sonia Gandhi has spoken on 1984.”

He said: “We do not put pressure on the CMs. Himachal has a new government. Let them settle.”

“We took out 20 crore people from poverty while we were in power,” he said.

Rahul avoided questions on SYL, “This is Bharat Jodo Yatra. This is a distractive question.”

He said: “Going by a flight or a car is different. It is a completely different walking. There is pain, pressure. You meet people, know their problems. I am amazed at the amount of strength and resilience that the country has.”

He said: “I am happy at leaders from the Congress going to the BJP. They obviously were under a pressure. But it's good for us that they have gone. Sidhu will get some role in the party.”

In 1988, Navjot Singh Sidhu was involved in a road rage incident of assault and causing the death of a man. In May 2022, the Supreme Court convicted him of voluntarily causing hurt (Section 323 of the Indian Penal Code) and sentenced him to one year rigorous imprisonment. Sidhu has since then serving his sentence at Patiala Jail.

The Punjab leg of the Congress' Kanyakumari to Kashmir march began on Wednesday from Sirhind in Fatehgarh Sahib.

Senior leaders of the party, including its Punjab chief Amrinder Singh Raja Warring, Harish Chaudhary and Raj Kumar Chabbewal, were seen accompanying Gandhi during the yatra that will halt for the night at Mukerian.