BJNY: Uniting country is true patriotism, says Rahul Gandhi

Uniting the country is true patriotism, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said on Saturday, and added that the rich and the poor live in "different Indias". The Congress MP was addressing a gathering on the second day of the Uttar Pradesh leg of the Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra (BJNY).

Gandhi, along with the party's state president Ajay Rai and other Congress leaders, stood atop an open jeep and toured the busy Gudaulia area of the temple town, and also visited the Kashi Vishwanath temple.

Addressing a gathering at Gudaulia intersection, Gandhi said India is a country of love, not of hatred.

"The country will become weak owing to conflict between brothers. True patriotism is to unite the country. I have come with my head bowed before Ganga ji. Everyone should feel that they have come to meet their brother during this yatra," Gandhi said.

He said there are "two Indias" in the country, one for the rich and one for the poor. He also hit out at the media, alleging that it doesn't show the issues of farmers and labourers of the country. "This media will show Modi ji 24 hours, will show Aishwarya Rai, but will not show the real issues," he said.

Gandhi also called a boy named Rahul from the crowd and asked him about the money spent on his education and unemployment. Gandhi said that unemployment and inflation are the only two issues in the country.

Apna Dal (Kamerawadi) leader Pallavi Patel and the Samajwadi Party (SP) MLA from Sirathu also joined the yatra in Varanasi.

On Friday, the BJNY entered Uttar Pradesh from Bihar at Chanduali, where it halted for the night. SP president Akhilesh Yadav has said he will join the yatra in Rae Bareli.

The yatra will traverse Uttar Pradesh before entering Rajasthan. The east to west Manipur-Mumbai trail will traverse 6,700 km through 15 states and aims to highlight the message of nyay (justice) while meeting common people on the way.