Congress sounds poll bugle at Nagpur rally

Mumbai: Sounding the bugle for the 2024 general election, senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Thursday said that the coming polls will be a “battle of two ideologies” as “slavery” works in the BJP. He also promised a nationwide caste census if the Congress was voted to power at the Centre.

Addressing a “Hai Taiyyar Hum” rally in Nagpur that kickstarted the Congress’ campaign for next year’s Lok Sabha polls, Mr Gandhi lashed out at the ruling BJP, saying the saffron party is run on an authoritarian ideology like that of erstwhile kings.

“There is a fight of ideologies going on in the country. Their (BJP) ideology is the ideology of kings. They don’t listen to anyone, orders just come from above. Whereas in the Congress, the voices come from below, our small workers can point out the big leaders. I listen to our workers and also respect their voice (concerns),” Mr Gandhi said.

The freedom struggle was not fought by the kings or rulers of that time, it was fought by the people of the country. Kings and rulers had a partnership with the British. The Congress fought against that partnership for the people of the country, he added.

“Vice-chancellors are appointed not on the basis of merit but because they belong to a particular organisation. Unemployment is highest now in the last 40 years,” Mr Gandhi stated.

The Congress leader also announced that his party will undertake a caste census if voted to power at the Centre. “We will undertake a caste census after coming to power at Centre, he said.

After the Congress made a demand for a caste census, Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s language changed and he started saying poverty was the only caste in the country. The Congress will carry out the caste census and give employment to youths, who are deprived of jobs, Mr Gandhi added.

The Congress leader also said the BJP wants to take the country back to slavery, alleging that “ghulami” (slavery) works in the saffron party.

“A few days ago, I secretly met a BJP MP in the Lok Sabha, who was previously in the Congress. He spoke out of fear, and tension was visible on his face. He said: “BJP mein ghulami chalti hai” (slavery works in the BJP), said the Congress leader.

“The BJP leader said that whatever directions are received from the authorities above have to be followed without thinking twice. No one listens to us, orders come from above. It is just like how kings used to give orders earlier and everyone had to follow it. There is no choice whether you like it or not,” Mr Gandhi said.

Addressing the rally, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said the RSS and BJP have ruined the country in the last 10 years and if they are not stopped now, then democracy will be finished.

The BJP made a mockery of democracy by suspending 146 Opposition MPs for asking questions and passing the bills in Parliament. The people should teach a lesson to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP for not respecting democracy, he added.

While Congress’ former president Sonia Gandhi and general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra did not attend the rally, Telangana CM Revanth Reddy, Himachal Pradesh CM Sukhvinder Sukhu, Karnataka deputy CM D.K. Shivakumar, and former Maharashtra CMs Prithviraj Chavan, Sushilkumar Shinde and Ashok Chavan were present on the occasion.