'No action against 'real culprits' of bridge crash as they are linked to BJP'

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Monday alleged no action was taken against the real culprits behind the Morbi bridge collapse tragedy which killed 135 people because they share a good relationship with the ruling BJP in GujaratAddressing an election rally in Rajkot his second in the day he said while watchmen posted at the accident site were arrested and jailed no action was taken against the real culpritsWhen journalists asked me what I think about the Morbi tragedyI said around 150 people died and this is not a political issue and so I would say nothing about this But the question arises today as to why no action was taken against those who were behind this tragedy why no FIR has been filed against them he asked Will nothing happen to them because they share a good relationship with the BJP They arrested chowkidars watchmen and put them behind bars but no action has been taken against the real culprits the Congress MP allegedThe Britishera suspension bridge on the Machchhu river collapsed on the evening of October 30 killing 135 people including several women and children Morbi was part of Rajkot district before its bifurcationGandhi said he is feeling sad the Bharat Jodo Yatra of the Congress is not passing through Gujarat where Assembly polls will be held in two phases on December 1 and 5Also read SC seeks Centre replies on plea of Sukesh his wife for shifting them from jailTargeting the Bharatiya Janata Party government Gandhi said its policies are creating two Indias one of the billionaires who can do whatever they dream of and the other of the poor who are struggling to live amid inflation and joblessnessThe former Congress president said the idea of Bharat Jodo Yatra was shown by Gujarat and inspired by its two sons Mahatma Gandhi and Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel But sadly the Yatra did not pass through Gujarat he saidTwo Indias are being createdone of the billionaires who can do whatever they dream of and the other comprising the poor farmers labourers and small businessmen We do not need two Indias We need one India of justice he saidHe said the Micro Small and Medium Enterprises MSME sector was the real generator of jobs before it was forced to shut down due to demonetisation in 2016 and the poorlyexecuted Goods and Services Tax GST rolloutThey did the same during the COVID19 pandemic I told a journalist that walking 2000 km during Bharat Jodo Yatra is not a big deal Indias workers walked 2000 km on empty stomachs during the lockdowns so walking in the Yatra is not a big deal But when the workers needed the government it did not come to their aidWhen workers were dying on roads the BJP government waived loans worth lakhs of crores of the richest Indians Those running SMEs were shouting they are being destroyed due to the note ban faulty GST and COVID19 but the government didnt support them he allegedGandhi said the note ban GST and the handling of the COVID19 pandemic were not policies but the weapons against farmers SMEs and poor workers intended to finish them off and make way for 23 billionaires of the countryThey billionaires can do whatever business they want Telecom airports ports infrastructure farming and grocery stores they can do whatever they want They can dream of whatever they wish But when the youth of the country dream of becoming engineers they will first have to spend lakhs in private institutions face inflation and eventually end up becoming labourers he saidHe said youngsters cannot find jobs as the country is facing the highest rate of unemployment in the last 45 yearsIn the past the poor would get jobs in the public sector Today all PSUs are being privatised be it Railways BHEL or oil companies and are being handed over to those 23 capitalists These are your assets Lakhs of positions are vacant in government jobs he saidGandhi said inflation and the cost of petrol cooking gas and other essential items have risen sharply compared to the UPA daysSpeaking about his Bharat Jodo Yatra experience Gandhi said he spoke to thousands of youth and they talked about their dreamsThe youngsters told me they wanted to become engineers and doctors but their dreams were shattered because of the privatisation of education he saidThe Congress leader said farmers were asking why the government did not help them with their unpaid loans when it can waive NPAs worth lakhs of crores of 34 billionairesThe farmers asked why they are labelled defaulters when they are unable to pay Rs 50000Rs 1 lakh of loan They are not getting money even for the destruction of their crop he saidThe Congress MP took a break from the 3570km crosscountry footmarch which started from Tamil Nadu on September 7 and is currently passing through adjoining MaharashtraThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or 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