In this image provided by AICC on Monday, Jan. 27, 2025, LoP in the Lok Sabha and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi addresses a gathering during the 'Jai Bapu, Jai Bhim, Jai Samvidhan' rally, in Mhow, Madhya Pradesh.Photo: PTI In this image provided by AICC on Monday, Jan. 27, 2025, LoP in the Lok Sabha and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi addresses a gathering during the 'Jai Bapu, Jai Bhim, Jai Samvidhan' rally, in Mhow, Madhya Pradesh.Photo: PTI

In a fiery speech at the “Jai Bapu, Jai Bhim, Jai Samvidhan” rally in Mhow, Madhya Pradesh, Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) of insulting the legacy of Dr BR Ambedkar and the Constitution he framed. 

Gandhi called on Congress workers to protect the Constitution from what he described as attacks from the ruling government.

“Ambedkar ji’s Constitution was insulted,” Gandhi said, taking aim at RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat, who recently made controversial remarks suggesting that India’s true independence was only realised with the consecration of the Ram temple in Ayodhya. 

Gandhi slammed Bhagwat’s statement as an “insult to every Indian” and accused him of undermining Ambedkar’s vision of a democratic India.

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The Congress leader emphasised the importance of safeguarding the Constitution, warning that the BJP and RSS sought to undermine its core values. “The day our Constitution is changed, there will be nothing left in the country for Dalits, backward classes, and tribals,” he said.

Asserting that the BJP-led government had been working in favour of billionaires while neglecting the poor and marginalised, Gandhi alleged that the country’s wealth was being concentrated in the hands of a few crony capitalists, while the employment opportunities for Dalits, backwards, and tribals were being systematically diminished.

“Dalits, backward classes, tribals, and the poor are being made slaves once again,” Gandhi said. “The BJP and the RSS want a pre-independence-like situation in this country, where the poor have no rights and only the rich have power.”

Further criticising the government, Gandhi reiterated his call for a nationwide caste census, which he vowed would be conducted if the Congress were to come to power. He claimed that Prime Minister Narendra Modi was avoiding the census out of fear. “Modi ji will never get the caste census done,” Gandhi asserted. “He is scared of holding one.”

Gandhi also announced Congress’s intention to bring about legal changes to increase the quota for reservation beyond the existing 50 per cent, stating that the party would seek to pass a law in both the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha.

Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge joined Gandhi at the rally, taking shots at Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah. Kharge described their actions as “sins” that would prevent them from attaining heaven in seven lifetimes. He also mocked the BJP’s focus on religion, referencing Shah’s public appearance during the Maha Kumbh Mela and his statements about using faith to address India’s issues.

“Does taking a dip in the Ganga end poverty? Does it fill your stomach?” Kharge questioned. He criticised the BJP for focusing on religious symbolism rather than addressing the real issues affecting India’s poor, such as hunger, lack of education, and the exploitation of labourers.

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“Does taking a dip in the Ganga end poverty? Does it fill your stomach?” Kharge questioned. He criticised the BJP for focusing on religious symbolism rather than addressing the real issues affecting India’s poor, such as hunger, lack of education, and the exploitation of labourers. 

“They keep taking dips until it looks good on camera,” Kharge said, stressing that such acts were no substitute for genuine solutions to poverty.

Kharge concluded by emphasising the importance of addressing the exploitation of the poor in the name of religion. “We don’t question anyone’s faith, but we have an issue with the poor being exploited in the name of religion,” he added.

(With agency inputs)mega swerte