Kannur: Intensifying the Congress’ election campaign, senior leader Rahul Gandhi on Thursday launched a scathing attack on BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi over various issues including unemployment and inflation and said the whole idea of the saffron party was to create instability and disharmony in India.
The Wayanad MP, who is also the Congress candidate from the hilly constituency in Kerala, attended three massive rallies in Kannur, Palakkad and Kottayam Lok Sabha segments and alleged certain media houses regularly abused him for criticising the policies and ideologies of BJP.
Addressing an election rally in Kannur, Gandhi said his relentless criticism of BJP has resulted in the saffron party and their media houses tarnishing his image across the country.
The entire idea of BJP is to create instability and disharmony in India and, in turn, harm millions of people in the country, he said.
“I fight the BJP and the RSS. No matter what they do, I fight them every day. I have an ideological difference with them and I get up every day and think to myself, how am I gonna disturb them today? But there is a cost to this.
“Their media channels abuse me 24 hours a day. My image is distorted across the country,” Gandhi said.
He also lashed out at Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and wondered why the Left leader was targeting him while he was fighting against BJP.
The Congress leader said he was interrogated by the ED for 55 hours, his Lok Sabha membership and his official residence were taken away. He said two chief ministers are in jail, but none of these are happening to the Kerala Chief Minister.
“Why is he (Vijayan) not being interrogated by the ED, CBI and all? Two CMs are in jail, but why is none of this happening to the Kerala CM? I have been attacking the BJP 24X7 but the chief minister is attacking me. This is a bit puzzling,” Gandhi said.
“This is something the people of Kerala should think about,” he said.
The Congress leader in his attack on Modi said the PM and the BJP were dividing the country to distract the nation.
“All they do is give away India’s wealth to a few people. They divide the country to distract the nation and then all the wealth of the country goes to a few people who are close to the Prime Minister. Defence projects, infrastructure projects, agriculture, ports, airports, wherever you look you can see the name Adani,” Gandhi claimed at a rally in Palakkad.
He also attacked the media and said important issues like unemployment and inflation will never make it to the national headlines.
“Farmers can block the highway to Delhi but it will not be visible in the national media. Because the national media is fully controlled by the same people Mr Narendra Modi helps,” Gandhi added.
Praising the Kerala society, Gandhi said the southern state has shown the world how to live happily in diversity.
Criticising Prime Minister Modi for not visiting violence-hit Manipur, he said that wherever the BJP goes, “they will divide people, make people fight with each other, and create problems.”
“The thing to understand is that India has never been as unfair as it is today. Wealth has never been distributed as unequally as it is today. So the next (Congress-led) government has to aggressively support poor people,” Gandhi said at his Kannur rally.
He attacked Modi, alleging inaction during the COVID-19 pandemic, and said when lakhs of people were dying, the Prime Minister asked the people to clap their hands.
“…And the entire media was saying how brilliant our Prime Minister is,” Gandhi said, adding “because you don’t understand India and because you take decisions without asking anybody, you are creating tremendous damage to this country.”
Gandhi also said the BJP was attempting to change the diversity of the country, whereas the Congress accepts the differences.
He said the upcoming election will probably be the first one in the country’s modern history, “which is about the Constitution of India and the democratic structure of our nation.”
“No political party has attempted what BJP is trying in India today. The Constitution is the foundation of modern India. It is what gives our people equal rights and equal opportunities. And our Constitution is protected by various institutions in our country,” Gandhi said.
He said the bureaucracy, judiciary, the Election Commission, the police, the CBI, the Enforcement Directorate, and other agencies are supposed to be protectors of the Constitution and the rights of Indian citizens.
“By capturing these institutions and using the ED and CBI as political weapons, BJP is trying to change the very nature of our country. The Congress Party and the UDF accept the diversity of India. We accept the multiple languages, traditions, different histories, and expressions of all our people. BJP wants to impose one history, one nation, and one language on the people of India,” Gandhi said.
He alleged BJP was trying to change the diversity of the country and “wasting” their time.
“First of all, it (diversity) can never be changed. You are wasting your time. But most importantly, you are also wasting the energy of the Indian people. You are creating disharmony, and this disharmony is harming millions of people,” Gandhi added.
He was campaigning for KPCC president K Sudhakaran, fielded from the Kannur seat and Rajmohan Unnithan from Kasaragod constituency. He spoke in Kottayam constituency where the UDF has fielded K Francis George.
The Lok Sabha elections in Kerala will be held on April 26 and results will be declared on June 4.
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