Won’t spare sacrilege accused: Rahul Gandhi

Chandigarh: Taking the SAD-BJP combine head-on over the sacrilege issue, Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday warned of strong action against the culprits behind the Bargari and other cases of desecration of the holy scriptures, saying the perpetrators of these crimes and the subsequent incidents of police firing would not be spared.

Recalling his earlier visit to the region, which was rocked by a spate of sacrilege incidents and the Behbal Kalan and Kotkapura firing incidents, Mr Gandhi said that those who insulted religious scriptures did not deserve any mercy.

Addressing rallies, in support of the Congress candidate from Faridkot, Mohd. Sadique, and from Ludhiana, Ravneet Singh Bittu, Rahul lambasted Prime Minister Narendra Modi for insulting Punjab, and the rest of India, by claiming that no development was done in 70 years and the nation was sleeping till he came to power.

“Where were you when the Punjab farmers were driving the Green Revolution?” he asked Modi, lashing out at the prime minister for believing that he alone could run the country. It is the people of India who are running the country with their blood and sweat, declared, asserting that the Congress believed in taking every Indian, irrespective of cast, region, community, along for the development of the nation.

While reiterating employment generation and farmer welfare as the key priorities of the Congress, Mr Gandhi reached out to the people in Ludhiana with the promise to put all the party’s strength into reviving small and medium businesses. India cannot challenge China without “Made in Ludhiana”, which has to be an integral part of “Make in India”, he said.

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