I am a Hindu but not Hindutvawadi, says Rahul Gandhi

Jaipur, Dec 12 (IANS) Addressing a mammoth gathering in Jaipur during the national rally organised to protest against the price rise and inflation, veteran Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Sunday fiercely attacked the central government's policies and said that he is a Hindu but not Hindutvawadi.

Elaborating the difference between the two, he said, "Two words cannot mean the same thing. Every word has a different meaning. In our country's politics today, the meaning of Hindu and Hindutva are the same. These are not the same thing, they are two different words and they mean completely different things. I am a Hindu but not a Hindutvawadi. Mahatma Gandhi was a Hindu and Nathuram Godse was a Hindutvawadi, he added.

"No matter whatever happens, Hindu seeks and spends his whole life in search of truth whereas Hindutva spends his whole life in search of power and getting empowered. He will kill anyone for the sake of power. The path of Hindu is 'Satyagraha' while the path of Hindutva is 'Sattagraha.'

Attacking the Modi government, Rahul Gandhi said that the entire country has been left in the hands of a few industrialists and the country is being run by "Hum Do, Hamare Do".

Rahul Gandhi further said that the government of the country says that no farmer has died during the agitation. "I gave them a list of five hundred people from Punjab and Haryana and asked them that the Punjab government has given compensation, you should also give it. But they didn't."

He also took a jibe at PM Modi for giving concessions to industrialists.

He said that the country belongs to the poor, farmers, small shopkeepers, only these people can give employment to this country. Adani-Ambani has a place but they cannot create jobs on a large scale. Small business people, farmers can generate large scale employment.

Meanwhile, Rahul Gandhi was unaware of the absence of Punjab CM Charanjit Channi from the rally. He kept calling his name but then Sonia Gandhi and Ashok Gehlot signalled him about Channi's absence.

Before Rahul, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra also addressed the gathering and attacked the policies of the central government and the BJP.

She termed the central government as the government of lies, greed and loot.

I know how roads are being built in Goa just for the sake of transportation of coals to benefit one industrialist, she said and termed Modi as Paryatak PM.

"Modiji travelled throughout the world but did not go to farmers who were protesting on the roads," she said adding that "the state in which I work spends crores of rupees on advertisement but does not spend on fertilisers for farmers."

Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot also spoke on the occasion and said that all state governments are facing the challenge of financial crisis as the central government stays mum.

He said that Narendra Modi is one such PM who has not replied to a letter from the CM.

"This government is being run with hubris," he added.

Ttributes were paid to late CDS Bipin Rawat and other soldiers who died in a chopper crash on December 8.