‘RSS-BJP poison’: Congress at Bhagidari Nyay Sammelan
Portraying the RSS-BJP as the villains of the OBCs, responsible for the erasure of their history and the cause of their plight in the country, the Congress staged a massive show in the capital on Friday. The party sent a clear message to the ruling party that it will not cede the caste enumeration plank to it, around which it aspires to make Rahul Gandhi the country’s PM.
The party held ‘Bhagidari Nyay Sammelan’ of OBCs at the Talkatora Stadium in New Delhi, in which party’s top leaders participated. The massive push for OBCs comes after PM Narendra Modi-led government on April 30 announced to conduct caste enumeration in the upcoming census.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s politics has centred around raising voice for the oppressed classes, especially SCs, STs and the OBCs, including a call for caste-based census.
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge called RSS-BJP a “poison” during his address to OBC supporters who had gathered from across the country. The taunt was aimed to counter RSS-BJP’s politics of ‘Hindutva’.
“RSS-BJP is a poison. If you take it once, you will die. The wisdom lies in never to taste it,” said Kharge.
In his target on PM Modi, Kharge claimed that he (Modi) only began supporting the idea of a caste census after realising that the OBCs were rising against the injustice meted out to them and might “seize his chair.” Kharge added that he was unsure whether Modi would actually fulfil the promise.
“According to the Constitution, there is a 60 per cent reservation, but Modi doesn’t want to give reservation to those who are academically, socially and economically backward. He is not ready to give reservations to those who have no voice. We have to make him bow. We have to tell him with unity that we are no less,” he said.
He added, “Modiji’s only job is to tell lies, but I don’t understand why people are not agitated… He promised to provide two crore jobs, bring back black money and give Rs 15 lakh to everyone… everything was a lie. He even lied about giving MSP to farmers. He promised to increase the income of backwards classes…it never happened. That is why I call PM Modi ‘jhoothon ke sardar’. He even makes false statements in Parliament.”
“Modi does not think about the people of India, only about his chair….,” he said.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi also attacked RSS-BJP in his address to OBC supporters of the party. “Your history has been erased by the RSS and BJP. When you will come to know about your history, you will realise that RSS is your biggest enemy. It is Manuwadi…,” he said.
Gandhi also told the gathering, “everywhere there is discrimination against you…Modiji says it is Hindu India. You are the country’s 50 per cent population…..is Adani then an OBC? Your lands are given to him…”.
He also acknowledged that it was his “mistake" and not that of the party that they could not get a caste census conducted earlier, saying he is correcting that now.
He said caste-based census is the first step, while his goal is to ensure that OBCs, who he termed as “country’s productive force” get respect and participation in India.
India