Congress accuses BJP of 'destroying' communal harmony in country

Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad on Saturday lashed out at the BJP government for allegedly "destroying" the communal harmony in the country.

Addressing a meeting of Haryana Congress workers here, Azad said: "BJP has divided India in the name of caste and religion. Our identity today has become more of our religion and caste rather than being Indian."

The meeting was attended by senior leaders of the Haryana Congress including former Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda and Haryana Congress chief Dr Ashok Tanwar.

Azad claimed that five years ago, Dalits and minorities used to feel safest in Haryana while asserting that "change" is needed to keep the country united.

"When change happens in Haryana, it happens in the entire country. Change has occurred in Punjab and now we should work to bring change in Haryana," he told the party workers.

Azad, who is also in-charge for the party affairs in Haryana, said: "BJP sheds crocodile tears that India is being weakened. It is you who are doing this."

He alleged that farmers, youths and women have been betrayed by the BJP government.

"When farmers were committing suicide, they didn't care about it. Now as elections are approaching, they have started talking about it. They said 'Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao...They neither educated our daughters nor protected them," he said.

The Congress veteran further claimed that he "heard about rapes earlier" but "never heard of a two-year-old girl child being raped and murdered." "This too happened in the regime of BJP government," he said.