LUCKNOW: Congress leader and Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi launched a scathing attack on the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and the ruling BJP on Friday, alleging that there was no place for Dalits and backward communities in the right-wing organisation.
Addressing Congress functionaries at a Samvidhan Sammelan in Lucknow, Gandhi said a review of the RSS leadership structure would show the absence of representation from OBCs, Dalits and Adivasis. The event was organised to deliberate on issues of social justice and the Constitution.
The Rae Bareli MP also paid tribute to Bahujan Samaj Party founder Kanshi Ram ahead of his birth anniversary and said his ideas remained relevant in the present political landscape.
Claiming that if Jawaharlal Nehru were alive today Kanshi Ram would have been the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, Gandhi said the late leader’s struggle was centred on ensuring that development benefited the most marginalised sections of society.
The event, attended by more than 4,000 Congress functionaries, concluded with a proposal seeking the Bharat Ratna for Kanshi Ram posthumously.
Gandhi alleged that India’s major institutions did not reflect the country’s social composition and said large sections of the population remained underrepresented in positions of power.
He said Dalits, Adivasis, backward classes, extremely backward groups and minorities had limited representation in the judiciary, bureaucracy, Cabinet, education system and corporate sector.
Claiming that the Congress drew strength from the legacies of Mahatma Gandhi, B R Ambedkar and Jyotiba Phule, Rahul Gandhi said the party could never be defeated if it stayed committed to its core values.
He also urged party workers to focus on meaningful political engagement rather than slogans. “Chanting ‘Rahul Gandhi Zindabad’ will not change anything. Real change will come when people refuse to accept what is happening,” he said.
Referring to Ambedkar and Kanshi Ram, Gandhi said both leaders remained firm on their principles and did not compromise on their beliefs.
Describing the Constitution as more than a legal document drafted after Independence, he said it reflected the ideas and values of reformers such as Ambedkar, Mahatma Gandhi, Narayana Guru, Basavanna and Gautam Buddha.
“The Constitution reflected their values and not those of V D Savarkar or Nathuram Godse,” he said.
Reiterating the Congress party’s demand for a caste census, Gandhi said the party would continue pushing for caste enumeration and greater inclusion of marginalised communities in the country’s power structure.
Launching an attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Gandhi alleged that the government had compromised on several national issues, including economic policy, energy security and data protection.
He claimed that India had surrendered strategic leverage by allowing the United States access to Indian data.
“The PM handed over all the data of the people of India to the American government and companies, permitting them to store it anywhere and granting a 20-year tax holiday. This change left India unable to monitor or regulate how its citizens’ data is used,” Gandhi alleged.
He further claimed that the government had agreed to purchase goods worth Rs 9 lakh crore annually from the United States, a move he said would hurt Indian businesses.
Gandhi also alleged that Union minister Hardeep Singh Puri’s name appears in the Epstein file and claimed that investor George Soros had invested in a company linked to Puri’s daughter.