Cong alone can ‘smash’ RSS, BJP: Rahul

PTI NEW DELHI, NOVEMBER 7 A combative Rahul Gandhi today signalled an aggressive campaign against the RSS soon and declared that a reinvigorated Congress alone can “smash” BJP and its ideological mentor. “Secularism is in the blood of Congress and it simply cannot be removed... This is the DNA of our organisation and we just have to reinvigorate that and you will see Congress... defeat, and not just defeat, but smash RSS and BJP,” he said. Winding up a two-day national conference in the run up to the 125th birth anniversary of Jawaharlal Nehru, he suggested that the challenges ahead are not insurmountable even as he averred that it would “not be a fair” assessment that Congress was not fighting RSS. The Congress Vice President said that his party was the “biggest force” fighting it. Further, expressing concern over the growing atmosphere of intolerance, he charged that “for the first time in the history, a fascist organisation that is openly opposed to the ideology and values of our Constitution has acquired decisive power over the Union”. He added that “they have demonstrated in the last 18 months that they are prepared to use the very power of the republic to destroy it”. Gandhi said there was an “unprecedented challenge and crisis facing all Indians”. Claiming that the stated purpose of RSS was to establish a “theocratic, autocratic state”, he said that to achieve this goal, it has to destroy the current liberal, progressive, secular, social and democratic republic. Gandhi also said that there was a false impression among scholars, intellectuals and historians who participated in the meet that RSS had beaten Congress.