JULY 26- Citing the example of Punjab where peace was restored after a long period of militancy, Rahul Gandhi on Thursday said there was a “lot of anger” in India which should be brought down and the country should move forward by taking all sections along.
“India is a thought…youths make it, you make it. We have to include everyone and move forward,” the Congress leader said here as he praised paramilitary force CRPF’s efforts to restore peace in restive areas of the country.
He spoke of how a Khalistan supporter, also an MLA, joined political mainstream in Punjab after peace was restored in the once militancy-wrecked state.
Addressing a function on the occasion of foundation laying ceremony of CRPF training centre at Trishundi, the Congress vice president said that due to peace in the presence of CRPF and “Congress, Akali giving him a place in the political system”, the Khalistan supporter’s anger came down and he joined political mainstream.
“There is a lot of anger in the country. It has to be brought down” as was done in Punjab, Gandhi said.
The Congress leader said that CRPF played an important role in bringing normalcy in Punjab.
He regretted that only 30-40 per cent CRPF personnel get housing facility and added that jawans say that they were not afraid of fighting for the country, but of the hardships to their families.
Rahul said that jawans of this force were fighting on two fronts – “terrorists and for their family”.
“I want to tell Shindeji that whatever can be done for the families of the jawans, should be done,” he said.
Kanchan, wife of CRPF jawan Rajiv Kumar Yadav, and Savitri Devi, wife of Vinod Kumar Yadav, who were killed in Naxal attack in Chhattisgarh in April 2010, were also honoured on the occasion.
Recounting the story of his meeting with the Punjab MLA recently who while sitting along with him “wondered as to how he could reach the room of Gandhi as he was a Khalistani in the 80s and 90s and had wanted to kill his family”, Gandhi said that his anger had been brought down and today he was working for the country by joining its political system.
Rahul Gandhi said that he could not have been brought into mainstream, but for the CRPF, the political system and development.
“The jawans have not just fought for the country in Punjab but at other places also and we are thankful to them,” he said.
The Congress MP told his constituents about the benefits of the upcoming training centre which is the first in the state.
“Almost 17 per cent jawans are recruited from the state but this is the first recruitment and training centre in Uttar Pradesh”, he said, adding that people from other places would come to this area and they need to be welcomed here by the locals so that together the country is taken forward.
