Taking a dig at politicians questioning his visit to villages and Dalit homes, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Friday said he tours rural areas as he knows the "real strength" of India lies there. The Congress general secretary also said if the country has to progress, the "two Indias" -- one of the affluent and the other of the poor and backward -- should become one.
"Big opposition leaders often question that why I visit villages and eat with Dalits and farmers. They ask what had happened to Rahul Gandhi. But I know that the real strength of the country lies in the poor, Dalits, farmers and labourers," he said at an election meeting in Firozabad in support of party candidate Raj Babbar for the Lok Sabha bypolls.
Bahujan Samaj Party chief Mayawati has been criticising Rahul's visits to Dalit homes, dubbing them as political stunts. Rahul said his objective was to take the poor, farmers, Dalits and labourers class forward. "Today, there are two types of India. One is that of the affluent class, rich people and airconditioner and the second one (is) of the poor, backward, Dalits, tribals, farmers and labourers. I know that if the country has to progress, it should be one India," he said.
He said that during a recent visit, a young British Minister asked him that why India was progressing. "I told him that if you want to know the reason behind the country's progress, you should leave Delhi and visit the villages," he said.
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