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In a show of solidarity with Dalits in Gujarat, the Congress Vice-President Rahul Gandhi and senior Congress leaders on Thursday paid a visit to the families of the Dalit youth who were thrashed for skinning a cow in Una.
Hitting out at the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led Gujarat government and its 'anti-poor' ideologies, Rahul Gandhi said it was a fight between the two ideologies.
"I met the youth who had attempted suicide here. Why did they need to do it? It is because there is no one to listen to them. The poor and weak are crushed in this state. This is a fight of ideologies. On one side, there is Gandhiji, Nehruji, Sardar Patelji and Ambedkarji, while on the other, there is RSS, Golvalkar and Modiji," the Gandhi scion said in his brief media address after visiting the Dalit youths in a Rajkot hospital.
During his one-day visit to the Dalit families in Una, Gandhi expressed his solidarity with the victims and also attempted to strike a chord with the families, sharing tea in a saucer with the victims.
Former union minister and NCP leader Praful Patel and Congress leader Gurudas Kamat accompanied Gandhi to Mota Samadhiyala village of Una taluka amid tight security this afternoon.
Delhi Chief Minister and AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal is slated to meet the victims on Friday.
In his reaction to the incident, NCP leader Praful Patel criticised the Gujarat government's slogan of 'Gatisheel Gujarat' (Gujarat on the fast-track) saying that such incidents were shameful and shows that the law and order situation in the state has completely collapsed.
Gandhi also took a dig at Prime Minister Narendra Modi's claims of the Gujarat Model. "Modiji's speaks of Gujarat model. But in this model those who raise their voice against the powerful or big corporates are crushed. We will defeat this ideology, not only in Gujarat but at the national level," he said.
Meanwhile, after Wednesday's violence during the Gujarat bandh call, Thursday was peaceful in most parts of the State, barring a few incidents in Junagadh region and nearby sensitive areas, where crowds continued to protest against the Una incident.
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