Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge with party leaders Rahul Gandhi and Nana Patole during party's 'Hain Tayyar Hum' rally organised on party's foundation day, in Nagpur, Thursday, Dec. 28, 2023.
Credit: PTI Photo
Nagpur: Sounding the bugle for the 2024 Lok Sabha polls from the RSS backyard of Nagpur with a call 'Hain Taiyaar Hum,' the Congress on Thursday vowed to implement NYAY, a minimum guarantee scheme for the poor, and conduct a caste census if it wins the do-or-die general elections.
Addressing a rally at the vast stretch of land off the Dighori Naka, rechristened as 'Bharat Jodo Maidan' for the mega show of strength, Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge and Wayanad MP Rahul Gandhi set the tone for the polls, firing salvos at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the BJP, and its ideological parent, RSS.
The Congress chose to celebrate its 139th foundation day in Nagpur, considered the geographical center of India, while reiterating the commitment to take the I.N.D.I.A partners along in the ideological fight against the BJP-led NDA, currently in power.
"If I.N.D.I.A stays united, the BJP will be nowhere to be seen," said Kharge, the Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha.
"If the public gives strength to the I.N.D.I.A alliance in the (2024) elections, we will implement the NYAY scheme. We will empower the women of the country so that they can strengthen the entire family," Kharge said.
Gandhi also focused on opposition unity and reiterated the party's caste census promise. "There is a war between two ideologies. There are several parties in the NDA and I.N.D.I.A blocs, but the war is between two ideologies...," he said.
Gandhi pointed out that out of 90 IAS officers at the Centre, there are just three who are from the OBC community.
"They are given small departments. When it comes to power, they are nowhere to be seen. OBCs are 50 per cent of the population, Dalits 15 per cent, and Adivasis 12 per cent. In the 100 to 200 top companies, who are in the top posts? You don’t see any OBC, Dalit, or tribal representation. On what basis is the Modi government claiming it is serving OBCs, Dalits, and the tribals?" Gandhi questioned and asserted, "We will carry out a caste census."
“The Congress was not frightened of the Britishers, so there is no question of being afraid of Modi, BJP, and the Sangh Parivar,” Kharge said, adding: “There are two ideologies in Nagpur… one ideology is progressive, which belongs to Babasaheb Ambedkar, while on the other side is the RSS, which is destroying the nation.”
“During the last 10 years, the BJP and RSS have disturbed the country. If this Sangh government is not stopped, the country will be ruined; democracy and Constitution are at stake,” Kharge said.
Kharge also accused Modi of making false promises. “What happened to the Rs 15 lakh promised in every bank account?” he asked.
“We were not allowed to speak inside the Parliament. We only asked how those intruders came inside the Parliament, how they entered the Parliament, and who was behind this. If instead of a BJP MP (on whose letter the passes were issued to the accused), it was a Congress MP, then we would have been disgraced and insulted. They suspended 146 Opposition MPs to save their one MP. We will keep fighting,” Kharge said, adding that democracy is at stake under the "RSS-BJP regime".