Top Congress leader Rahul Gandhi urged Congress leadership to design another Bharat Jodo Yatra-type ‘tapasya’ programme to fight the BJP-RSS that “will do anything to cling to power”, as he launched a scathing attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the Adani issue, China and Jammu and Kashmir.
Addressing the Plenary Session here just an hour before its conclusion, Rahul equated industrialist Gautam Adani to East India Company, questioned whether India will only take on lesser mortals and not China and accused Modi of taking away ‘tricolour’ from Kashmiri youths.
In a nearly 50-minute speech, he spoke majorly about Bharat Jodo Yatra and its impact on him as well as the party. He said the yatra has rejuvenated the party and its workers and urged Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge to announce a programme that could tap on the energy of people.
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“The yatra has brought a new vigour to the country. Tapasya should not end. There has to be a programme in which all workers, leaders and people participate. Kharge-ji, please organise a programme of tapasya. We all will join. I guarantee all Indians will join it,” he said.
On Adani, he alleged that the Adani Group is snatching all infrastructure projects and “remember, this is what East India Company did. It was also a company which looted wealth from India. History is being repeated. Congress will fight anything that is against the country,” he added.
He said simple questions like how Adani rose from 609th position to second richest person and whether Modi was instrumental in Adani’s rise are being expunged from Parliament records. “When questions on Modi’s relation with Adani are asked, ministers are rushing to defend and save Adani. If you criticise or question Adani, it is construed as anti-India. Is Adani the biggest patriot in this country? Why is BJP-RSS saving him?”
On China, he referred to External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar’s remarks that China is a bigger economy and it is difficult to fight them and asked whether the Britishers’ economy was smaller than India’s that we fought for independence.
“Is it that we will not fight the strong, is it that we will fight only the weak. Won’t we fight Savarkar’s ideology if we encounter it? India’s Minister is telling China that we will not stand up to them. Is this patriotism? What kind of patriotism is this?” he said.
If Mahatma Gandhi spoke about ‘satyagraha’ as a path to seek truth, he said, the RSS-BJP is for ‘satta-graha’ which is the path to power. “They will do whatever needs to cling to power, they will bow their heads before anyone,” he said.
Referring to his yatra entering Kashmir, he said there was an overwhelming response from people who have joined him with tricolour in their hands in districts which were called hugely terrorist-infested.
“The yatra put the tricolour in the hands of Kashmiris, especially youth. CRPF people told me they have never seen this. In Parliament, the Prime Minister said that he also hoisted the tricolour in Lal Chowk in Srinagar. I think the Prime Minister did not understand. He and other 15-20 BJP leaders hoisted the flag but the yatra made lakhs of Kashmiris to hoist the flag,” he said.
“The yatra put the tricolour in the hands of youth while you (BJP) snatched it from them,” he said.