RAIPUR: In a scathing attack on the BJP, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Thursday accused the saffron party of taking the country towards "danger" and said that along with the RSS, it wants only one ideology to rule over all states, languages and history which can never happen.
Reiterating what he said in Lok Sabha a day ago, Gandhi said the "grave danger" is that the BJP is dividing the nation into two countries -- one belonging to select billionaires and the other to the crores of common people.
"I made a speech in Lok Sabha yesterday in which I talked about the two-three challenges facing the country. The BJP and its ideology are taking our country towards danger. What is the danger -- the first grave danger is that the BJP is dividing the country into two countries," he said while addressing a function at Science College ground in Chhattisgarh's capital Raipur.
"One country is of selected billionaires, where there is everything including planes, wealth and high technology, while the second one is of crores of the people of the country," he said.
"They think that by making two countries, the country which belongs to the poor is powerless and will remain quiet. They think the poor of the country are afraid. But the poor of the country are not afraid of anyone, rather they are the ones who have built the country," Gandhi said.
"If someone has taken India to this point and ensured the progress, it is not a party, but the farmers, labourers and the poor. So when it is asked what has happened in 70 years, it is an insult to farmers, their parents, labourers, and small businessmen, not to the Congress party," he added.
He said that the 100 wealthiest people in India have more money than 40 per cent of the population.
"While 40 per cent struggle with hunger and poverty, 5-10 capitalist friends of the prime minister amass all the wealth, we don't want a country like this. We will not allow the country to become so," Gandhi asserted.
"If there is progress in this country - then everyone will be part of it, not just some industrialists. If there is progress in the country, then everyone will benefit," he said.
On the occasion, Gandhi launched the Chhattisgarh government's 'Rajiv Gandhi Gramin Bhoomihin Krishi Majdoor Nyay Yojana', under which landless labourers in rural areas will be given financial assistance of Rs 6,000 per year in three installments. The first installment of Rs 2,000 was deposited into the accounts of nearly 3.55 lakh landless families of labourers, barbers, blacksmiths, priests, forest produce collectors and shepherds, among others, on the occasion under the scheme.
He laid the foundation stone of a memorial here that will house an eternal flame on the lines of the 'Amar Jawan Jyoti' as a tribute to soldiers and security personnel who have lost their lives in the line of duty.
Gandhi also laid the foundation stone of 'Gandhi Sevagram' ashram to be built in Nava Raipur, similar to the one in Wardha (Maharashtra). In his remarks, Gandhi said this country is like a bouquet and people of different ideologies live in it.
"The ideology, history, and culture in one state is different from that of the other. But if we say that there will be only one ideology in the whole country then it will be wrong," he said adding that this will harm the country.
"The BJP and RSS want that only one ideology should rule over all states, languages, and history in the country, which can never happen. For example, people of Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh cannot tell people of Chhattisgarh how they should live, what should be the relation of tribals here with forests, and what should be the relation of farmers here with their land. Likewise, you cannot go to Vidarbha and tell farmers there that 'you should live in this way," the former Congress chief said.
This is the bouquet of our country and this feeling of love and brotherhood, is what we call India, he said. Gandhi alleged that the BJP has been "attacking this India" and the Congress will oppose this attack and will show them the "real India".
The Congress leader also accused the BJP of spreading hatred in the country and making one religion fight with the other.
"They have spread hatred in the country. They are making one state fight with the other and one religion fight with the other religion. The powers outside India look at us and say that India is getting weak. The Chinese army could enter Ladakh because the BJP and our prime minister said after their entry into our territory that no one has entered," he said.
"Our work and the work of patriotism is to strengthen the country, help the poor and unite the country, not to spread hatred. So it is a battle of ideology. This is not a fight between one party and the other," he said.
Gandhi praised the Chhattisgarh government and said it is fulfilling its promises.
Talking about his promise of providing Rs 2,500 to farmers, the Lok Sabha member from Wayanad said that the state government had fulfilled the promise of paying the actual amount for farmers' hard work to them.
He said the state government's move to provide financial assistance to landless labourers working in farms is a big step towards the welfare of the poor and urged the Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel to increase the amount to be given to labourers under the scheme.
In his remarks, Baghel said that the state managed to shield itself from the slowdown impact as it followed the directives of Rahul Gandhi to empower the masses by putting money in their pockets.
Baghel said that the farmers in Chhattisgarh were content even as they were protesting in other parts of India. He said that one more step has been taken towards making Chhattisgarh a public welfare state.
Gandhi also launched a coffee table book "Jo Kaha So Kiya" on the achievements of the Chhattisgarh government in the last three years.
After an inspection of an exhibition on the development in the state, Gandhi suggested to the chief minister to take the "magic of Chhattisgarh" beyond the country so that the world gets the taste of the state's products, knowledge, and history. Gandhi also tried his hand at pottery and 'charkha'.