Prime Minister Narendra Modi is weakening the country by spreading hate and fear and that can only help Pakistan and China, former Congress president Rahul Gandhi claimed on Sunday as he set the tone for his upcoming Bharat Jodo Yatra that will be launched on September 7.
He, however, asserted that Congress along with other Opposition parties will defeat the BJP-Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh [RSS] ideology.
Addressing the party’s Mehangai Par Halla Bol rally at Delhi’s historic Ramlila Maidan grounds to highlight the issue of price rise, Mr. Gandhi asserted that the Congress is left with no option but to be among the people as all institutions including Parliament, judiciary, media and the election commission are “under pressure”.
Ever since the BJP came to power, the former Congress chief claimed, there is growing hate. “Hate is a form of fear. When we say hate is increasing in the country, to say it in a different way, fear is increasing in the country — fear of the future, fear of inflation, fear of unemployment and because of this, hatred is increasing,” he said.
“This is a battle of ideologies, and the Congress ideology and all other opposition parties will together defeat the BJP and RSS ideology,” Mr. Gandhi added.
The mega rally against price rise on Sunday not only set the stage for the 3,500-km-long padayatra from Kanyakumari to Kashmir that Mr. Gandhi will lead over the next five months but also proved to be an occasion for leaders to reiterate their faith in the leadership of the Gandhi family after the high profile exit of Ghulam Nabi Azad.
Congress chief Sonia Gandhi, whose ailing mother recently passed away, is still out of the country but Mr. Gandhi returned to address the party’s rally against price rise amid banners and posters asking him to take over as the party chief.
‘Modi is taking India backwards’
Targeting the Prime Minister, the former Congress chief claimed that Mr. Modi was working 24 hours to benefit two big industrialists. Under Prime Minister Modi, he said, two Indias are being created; one which belongs to the poor where no dream could be accomplished, and the other of a few big businessmen where every dream can be achieved.
“Narendra Modi is taking India backwards. Narendra Modi ji is spreading hatred, and fear. This will benefit the country’s enemies, it will benefit China, it will benefit Pakistan but not India. The more hatred, anger and fear spread in India, the more it will be weakened,” he said.
“BJP and RSS leaders divide country and deliberately spread fear,” he alleged.
“The question is whom do they do it for and why. Who is benefitted from this fear and hate. Tell me what benefits the poor, labourers and small traders have got from the Modi government? Two industrialists have benefitted from this fear and hate,” he added.
He claimed that Mr. Modi cannot be the Prime Minister without the support of the two big industrialist who control the media that only show the Prime Minister and the BJP.
Mr. Gandhi also alleged that anyone who criticises the Modi government, be it activists or Opposition leaders, is attacked by the government agencies. Referring to his questioning by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) for 55 hours in the National Herald case, he said, “I want to tell the Prime Minister, I am not not scared of your ED, even if you question me for 500 hours or 5 years, it makes no difference.”
Later, in a tweet, Mr. Gandhi said only the Congress ideology and workers can bring the country onto the path of progress.
“The government did not allow the Opposition to speak in Parliament, and the only way for us is to talk directly to people and tell the truth of the country to people and hear them out,” he said, adding, “Every Indian citizen has to protect the spirit of the Constitution or else the country wont survive.”
Congress vs BJP
Comparing the prices of fuel, cooking gas, edible oil, milk and food items like flour between 2014 and now, Mr. Gandhi said in the past 70 years, India never witnessed the kind if inflation that it is witnessing now. While the UPA empowered people with measures like land acquisition law and Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act, the Modi government brought in the now repealed farm laws to help the industrialists, he said.
“During the 10 years of UPA, 27 crore people were lited out of poverty. In the past eight years, Modi ji has pushed 23 crore back into poverty,” he said.
Mr. Gandhi claimed that the country’s situation is such that even if it wants, it cannot give jobs to its youth. The biggest job providers are the micro medium small enterprises (MSME) and their backbone has been destroyed by a flawed goods and services tax, he pointed out. Accusing the Modi government of destroying India’s economic power, with unemployment touching a 40-year high, he said, ”The work we did in 10 years they destroyed it in eight years.”
