JAIPUR: Union ministers Piyush Goyal and Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore on Tuesday led a 'Tiranga Yatra' from city's Khatipura crossing on Sirsi road to Dhankya village, which is associated with Sangh icon Deendayal Upadhyay.
The nearly 25-km journey, which was undertaken on motorcycles, was organised 'to imbibe nationalism' among the citizens. The Union power minister, who was in Jaipur especially for the Tiranga Yatra, said the rally was part of PM Modi's efforts to have an event where everyone would rise above politics to imbibe nationalism, work together as a citizen and live for the nation.
"It was also to express gratitude to the ex-servicemen who were fighting for one-rank-one-pension but got it only under our government," Goyal said. "On this occasion, we have released a book to spread awareness among people about the various schemes, projects and welfare works done by the Modi-government," the Union minister said, displaying a booklet listing '70-steps of Modi-government on 70th Independence Day.'
Congress state president Sachin Pilot, however, said, "The BJP has nothing to show as achievements so it keeps organising such events to divert people's attention. Congress leaders fought for the country's freedom and have been serving the nation for 130 years." At the yatra, hundreds of BJP workers led by their leaders rode on bikes carrying the national flag. Deputy speaker Rao Rajendra Singh, along with Jaipur rural's BJP MLAs, was present at the event. MoS for information and broadcasting Rathore drove the bike, while Goyal rode pillion with him.
"I last rode a bike with Nitin Gadkariji (Union transport minister) while campaigning in Nagpur in 2014. But probably today's was the longest drive after my youth days," Goyal said after the yatra. "I was very happy to see the energy and enthusiasm of people at the yatra," he said.
On the controversy that he and Rathore were without helmets, Goyal said, "We were wearing safa which is a pagdi, and the law says that those wearing pagdi are not required to wear helmets." The Union minister also tried to defend the party workers as well as BJP MLAs like Nirmal Kumawat who wore neither helmets nor safa/pagdi and even rode more than two persons on a single bike. "They were all enthusiastic desh-bhakts (patriots) who were 'flying' with the Tiranga Yatra at a very slow speed," Goyal reasoned.
On being asked if the Tiranga Yatra would be organised in Kashmir too, the Union power minister replied in the affirmative. "Kashmir is an integral part of India; Kashmiri people are with India and are with us in this desh-bhakti too," Goyal said.
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