Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi today slammed BJP for "politicising" his visit to Jammu and Kashmir and said that visiting a poor's house and embracing a labourer was not tourism.
"BJP is saying that Rahul is indulging in tourism. For them, going to the houses of poor, holding hands of the farmer and hugging a labourer is tourism," he said.
Gandhi also attacked BJP for doling out favours to corporates.
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"However, going to the houses of businessmen and hugging them and handing the property of the country to five to ten people (corporates) is politics. This is the difference between us and them," Gandhi said addressing a party workers convention here.
The Congress leader was responding to the BJP criticism of his three-day visit to the state.
BJP had alleged, "The Congress vice president is least concerned about the situation at the border and is more concerned about scoring a political point so that he may become relevant."
"I went to the border yesterday and met the people there. They asked for just a few things, not much. They demanded insurance and equal compensation (like for those who are killed in terror related incidents). I went there to listen to them so that I could tell those things to the country," Gandhi said.
He said the thought of the Congress was to respect everyone irrespective of their religion or region.
"Our thinking is that whatever work has to be done, has to be done by taking everyone along in love and brotherhood. And this cannot be erased easily. Attempts have been there to erase it, but it cannot be erased," he said.
The Congress leader said he was told that the flags of the Congress party were removed in Srinagar yesterday.
"The media asked me what I thought about it (removing of flags). I told them Congress is an ideology, it is a thought and this thought is spread all over the country.
"This thought is in my heart, it is in the hearts of the people of Jammu and Kashmir and in the hearts of the workers of Congress party. You want to remove the flags, the posters, do whatever you want, but this thought will never come out of those hearts. The thought of the party," he said.
He said Congress is the only party which could bring peace to the state.
"There can be no progress without peace. And only Congress can bring peace in Jammu and Kashmir. You are the soldiers of peace, of brotherhood and this ideology runs this country," he said.
