SHILLONG: In his first poll rally for the upcoming Meghalaya assembly elections, senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi took a dig at the BJP.
While launching a scathing attack on the BJP, senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi termed the saffron party a “classroom bully”.
BJP and RSS are like the bullies in school classrooms, who think they know everything and do not respect others, Rahul Gandhi said.
“BJP and RSS are the class bullies and we have to teach them a lesson collectively through non violence,” said Rahul Gandhi.
Senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi made this statement while addressing a mega public rally at Shillong in election-bound Meghalaya on Wednesday (February 22).
Rahul Gandhi further claimed that the BJP “does not have any love or respect for other’s traditions, cultures, language and religions”.
Furthermore, launching a direct attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Rahul Gandhi said that the PM puts on attires of different tribes of the Northeast and “attacks your religion, culture, history and language”.
“When I come here to Meghalaya, I try to understand your perspective, listen to you and appreciate your history, culture and traditions,” Rahul Gandhi said.
“I am wearing this jacket as a sign of respect to your culture and traditions. My actions reflect this jacket,” he added.
“Many states in India are being affected by the BJP dictate. One idea, that is, of the BJP and the RSS is being imposed on all states,” Rahul Gandhi said.
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The senior Congress leader cited the anti-conversation bill passed in Karnataka and incidents of mob lynching to allege that the BJP creates communal polarisation.
Rahul Gandhi added that his speeches are not being telecasted by the prominent media in the country, compared to those by PM Modi.
“My speeches are not visible in the media as the media is controlled by 2-3 big industrialists who have links with PM Modi. We can’t even express ourselves in the media anymore,” Rahul Gandhi said.
“I asked PM about his relationship with Adani. I also showed a picture in which Adani and PM are sitting in Adani’s aircraft and PM Modi is relaxing as if it is his own house. PM Modi did not answer a single question regarding it,” Rahul Gandhi said.
He added, “He asked me a question and said why is my name Gandhi and not Nehru? I gave the speech in Parliament and then you notice that PM Modi is all over the television when he gives his speech but my speech is nowhere to be seen.”
Notably, thus far, the top Congress leadership had been absent from election campaign process in the three Northeast poll-bound states of Tripura, Meghalaya and Nagaland.
Polling will be held in both the states of Meghalaya and Nagaland on February 27 (Monday) while the counting is scheduled on March 2 (Thursday).