Accusing India's western neighbour of attempting to provoke communal violence in the country, Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi here on Thursday alleged that Pakistan's intelligence agency spoke to 10-15 boys of a minority community, whose siblings were killed in the Muzaffarnagar disturbances.
While addressing the Congress' Satta Parivartan Rally, he said, "This was disclosed to me by an intelligence official who said that he urged the boys not to pay heed to what was being said to them by the agency." He further said the persons owing allegiance to different communities told him that there was no enmity among them but "ladai karwai gayi hai, aag lagai gayi hai" (the disturbances were created and the fire ignited on purpose).
"The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) believes that India's denizens should be made to feud among themselves so that it can derive electoral gains. It does not realise that the country suffers as a consequence. The Congress douses flames and tells people not to strife," he claimed.
India is a country of brotherhood and love, Gandhi said while adding that the world's greatest works were achieved through affection. Declaring his father Rajiv Gandhi as his hero who fought to change the system and narrating incidents from rural areas, Rahul on Thursday said his party's 'dharma' was to empower the urban and rural poor of the country.
"According to facts, we say that we make more roads than the BJP, we build more airports than the BJP, we make more railway lines than them, but we also follow our dharma —- which is, we empower the urban and rural poor," Gandhi said.
Gandhi also vouched for making Indore one of the five industrial capitals of the country within the next 10 years, but added this depended on the Congress coming to power after the next State elections.
Gandhi used the opportunity to promise the crowd that his party would not only bring infrastructure development, but, would also empower the poor in Indore.
"We will give you infrastructure. The power in your youth, your women, your children will be supported by us. It will be a partnership between the Indore public and the Congress party. ...If you believe in your dreams, I am standing with you," he assured.