NEW DELHI — Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Monday launched a blistering attack
on Prime Minister Narendra Modi and former Delhi chief minister Arvind
Kejriwal, saying that they keep mum on the issue of caste census as they do not
want backwards, Dalits, tribals and minorities to get their due share.
Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha and Congress
leader Rahul Gandhi addresses during the 'Jai Bapu, Jai Bhim, Jai Samvidhan
public meeting, in New Delhi, Monday, Jan. 13, 2025. (PTI Photo/Shahbaz Khan)
Specifically targeting Kejriwal at his first public
meeting for Delhi assembly polls, Gandhi said that the AAP convenor was
following "Modi's strategy of propaganda and false promises" despite
rising pollution, corruption and inflation in the national capital.
Gandhi also promised a caste survey in Delhi if the
Congress formed the government in the national capital.
"Kejriwal had said that he would clean Delhi, remove
corruption, and turn the national capital into Paris.
"What actually happened -- one cannot move around
due to pollution and inflation is rising," the Leader of Opposition in the
Lok Sabha said addressing his 'Jai Bapu, Jai Bhim, Jai Samvidhan' public
meeting at Seelampur.
"Arvind Kejriwal had talked of removing corruption.
Has he removed corruption? Just like Modi ji's propaganda of making false
promises, he is following the same strategy.... Pollution, corruption and
inflation are on the rise in Delhi," Gandhi said.
The Congress and AAP are part of the INDIA bloc. The two
parties had fought the Lok Sabha election together in Delhi, but are contesting
the assembly polls separately.
Stressing that India belongs to everyone, Gandhi said the
Congress does not want "an India run by a handful of crony
capitalists".
"When I talk of caste census, neither Modi says a
word nor does Kejriwal because both want that backward sections, Dalits,
tribals and minorities do not get their due share (bhaagidari). Ask Kejriwal
whether he is with the caste census. Ask Modi ji whether he is with the caste
census," Gandhi said.
"I had said to Modi ji in Parliament that you do it
or not, we will get the caste census done and reservation cap removed in Lok
Sabha and Rajya Sabha when a Congress government comes.
"We want the poorest of the poor, whether they are
Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs or Christians, to dream big... head big companies,"
he said.
He urged the people to support the Congress and make it
victorious, asserting that the party would ensure Delhi's development as in the
past under Sheila Dikshit's government.
"Neither Kejriwal nor the BJP can do what the
Congress had done," Gandhi said.
He said a battle of ideology is currently on in the
country.
"It is written in the Constitution that India
belongs to everyone. The BJP-RSS people spread hatred, make people fight,"
he alleged.
"We walked from Kanyakumari to Kashmir to protect
the Constitution. (BR) Ambedkar's Constitution is being attacked by Narendra
Modi and the people of BJP-RSS daily," he alleged.
"Till I am alive, I will protect every Indian from
assault be it Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs, Christians," he said.
With the rise of AAP, Congress' stake in Delhi's political
landscape has shrunk and it failed to open its account in the last two assembly
polls.
