Rahul Gandhi accuses BJP of dividing India into two parts

New Delhi: In a sharp attack on the Centre, Lok Sabha MP Rahul Gandhi on Thursday said that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and its ideology are leading the country towards danger and accused the party of creating two different countries out of India.

Rahul Gandhi, who was on a visit to Raipur, launched the state government's two ambitious schemes – Rajiv Gandhi Bhumiheen Krishi Majdoor Nyay Yojana and Rajiv Gandhi Yuva Mitaan Club. He also laid the foundation stones of Amar Jawan Jyoti and Sewa Gram to be built in Naya Raipur in a program at Science College Ground in Raipur.

"The BJP has divided India into two different countries, one that belongs to few millionaires with lots of high tech facilities and the other where the poor people of the country reside. The central government is extracting the money from the poor population and putting it in the pockets of few hundreds," he said while addressing the gathering. He added that India is a bouquet of people with different thought process and ideologies and it could not be summed up in a single ideology.

Targeting the BJP, Rahul Gandhi said taking an account of progress of the country in past 70 years is an insult to the contribution of poor labourers, artisans and farmers in the development of India.

Mentioning his promise of providing Rs 2500 to farmers, the Lok Sabha MP said that the state government has fulfilled the promise of paying the actual amount for farmer's hard work to them. He said the state government's move to providing financial assistance to landless labourers working in farms is a big step towards welfare of the poor and urged the Chhattisgarh Chief Minister to increase the amount to be given to labourers under the scheme.

On this occasion, the Chief Minister said that one more step has been taken towards making Chhattisgarh a public welfare state. There was a recession in the country due to the wrong policies of the central government, but the schemes implemented in Chhattisgarh on the instructions of Rahul Gandhi helped the state in shielding itself from slowdown impact.

Rahul Gandhi also launched a coffee table book, 'Jo Kaha so Kiya' on the achievements of Chhattisgarh government in last three years. After inspection of an exhibition on the development in the state, Gandhi suggested the chief minister to take the magic of Chhattisgarh beyond the country so that the world gets the taste of Chhattisgarh's products, knowledge and history.

Gandhi transferred the first installment of "Rajiv Gandhi Grameen Bhumiheen Krishi Mazdoor Nyay Yojana" in the bank accounts of 3 lakh 55 thousand landless agricultural labourers registered under the scheme. An amount of Rs 6,000 will be directly transferred to the beneficiaries account in three installments in a year. The state government has made a provision of Rs 200 crore in the supplementary budget for this scheme. Gandhi also laid the foundation stones of Sewa Gram and Amar Jawan Jyoti to be built in Naya Raipur.

The Sewa Gram will be developed at a sprawling 76.5 acres of land on the lines of Sewa Gram located in Wardha, Maharashtra to realize Mahatma Gandhi's vision of 'Gram Swaraj' and to preserve his values, principles and ideals in the 75th year of independence. Amar Jawan Jyoti, an eternal flame, will be lit in the premises of '4th battalion of Chhattisgarh Armed forces" at Mana in Raipur as a mark of tribute to soldiers who have sacrificed their lives for the country.