Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Sunday appealed to the people of Bengal to once again show the ideological path to the nation as they did during the freedom struggle to get rid of the present atmosphere of hatred.
Gandhi who resumed his Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra from in North Bengal led two massive rallies from Jalpaiguri and Siliguri where he appealed to the people of Bengal to show the way as they had shown during the freedom struggle.
Gandhi --- who would not spend a word on Mamata Banerjee --- though said that he would “never forget the love I have received from the people of Bengal,” reminding once again that “I have come to open a shop of love in the market of hatred,” and appealing to the people of the State to “once again show the right path to the nation.”
He said “Bengal is a special case for us because during the fight against the British Bengal had shown the nation the ideological path to freedom … it is a land where the icons like Rabindranath Tagore, Subhash Chandra Bose, Swami Vivekananda had lived … a time has come once again when the people of this State should come forward to show way to the rest of the country … it is your responsibility to once again use your intellect … because the Bengalis are intellectuals … if you do not do your duty today then the country will not forgive you.”
Gandhi who led two massive rallies often its ranks swelled by the Left workers would not speak a word against Banerjee or her party men regardless of the fact that alleged Trinamool workers tore down his posters and stopped Congress workers from joining the rallies. Rather he asked the people to make his yatra a grand a success.
“I have come to you with an expectation because you aloe can do what others cannot,” Gandhi said adding, in days to come Bengal would once again “establish its place in the world as a messenger of peace and show the nation the way to peace and harmony by discarding the environment of hatred scorn.”