New York: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi intensified his attack on the BJP-led Centre, saying that Prime Minister Narendra Modi, BJP and the RSS have a habit of looking back and they have always blamed someone for the past.
He also said the Congress did not blame the British for the train accidents that took place during its rule but the minister took the responsibility.
Addressing the gathering here at the Javits Center, Rahul said:
"Back home we have a problem. BJP and the RSS are incapable of looking at the future. You ask them anything and they then look backward. Ask them why the train met with an accident, then they will say it happened during Congress too. When you ask why periodic table evolution was removed from books, then they will say Congress did this 60 years ago. They have a habit of looking backward."
Citing an example, the Congress leader added:
"All of you came here from your car, just imagine if the only thing you did was to look in the rear view mirror while driving, then you would have met with an accident."
"That is the phenomenon of Modi. He is trying to drive the Indian car and always looks in the rear view mirror and then he does not understand why this car is crashing and not moving forward. And it is the same idea with the BJP, RSS, you listen to their Ministers. You will never find them talking about the future, they will always talk about the past. And they will always blame somebody for the past," he said, taking a swipe at the BJP.
Rahul added:
"A train accident happened during the Congress government and our party did not get up and say that now it is the fault of the British that the train has crashed."
He said:
"The Congress Minister would have said that it is my moral responsibility and I am resigning."
His remarks on the international platform over the Balasore train accident came hours after he demanded the resignation of Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw. In the horrific train accident on Friday evening in Balasore 275 people lost their lives and over 1,000 injured.
The Congress leader also said:
"This is the problem back at home that we make excuses and that we are not accepting the reality that we are facing, which is unemployment numbers."
Discussing about the relevance of non-resident Indians in the country's politics, the senior Congress leader said:
"The central architect of modern India was an NRI, Mahatma Gandhi...The freedom movement of India began in South Africa... Nehru, BR Ambedkar, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, and Subhas Chandra Bose, all were NRIs and had an open mind to the outside world. They all came home with different ideas."
"That's what I expect from you (the Indian community)," he said.
He also said that the BJP and RSS talk about the past whereas the Congress talks about the future.
"And I believe one of the reasons that I have come here is because if we want to build India where the vast majority of our youngsters are employed and to build a bridge between India and the US. What does it look like and how do we compete with the challenge the Chinese have put forth? What is our view on the revolution on mobility, data and connectivity and on the transformations that are taking place in the energy sector," he said.
Indian Overseas Congress Secretary Virendra Vashisth said that before Rahul's address to the Indian diaspora here, all the leaders and people observed one-minute silence for the victims of the Balasore train tragedy.
Rahul Gandhi, who is on a six-day visit to the US, said that India is being run by a group of people who are "absolutely convinced" and have a "disease" that they know everything.
Further adding to his remark, he said:
"And of course, Prime Minister is one of them. If you make him sit with God, he would start explaining to him (God) how the universe works...and God would get confused about what I had created."
The Congress leader said:
"In India, we grew up with people of different languages, different religions. And that is what is being attacked. The tradition in India, of people like (Mahatma) Gandhi Ji and Guru Nanak Ji, has been that you should not be under the impression of knowing everything. It is a 'disease' that some groups of India think that they know everything."
He said they (BJP) believe they can explain science to scientists, history to historians, and warfare to the Army while adding that mediocrity is at the heart of it because this group of people does not actually understand anything.
Launched a blistering attack on the BJP-led Central government, Rahul Gandhi while addressing the media earlier on Thursday said that the ruling party polarises society and are not inclusive and that is damaging India.
"They sought to generate a certain amount of hate, polarise society and they are not inclusive."
Criticising the BJP, he alleged:
"They brace everybody and divide society and that's damaging India."
He said that India has a tradition of conversation of openness. Citing examples of great leaders, spiritual and political personalities, he added that they (Congress) promoted peace, harmony and conversation.
"So its in our culture, tradition and history to bring people together and have these dialogues and I think it is the difference between us (Congress) and them (BJP). We feel that India should be allowed to express and we feel that political leaders should be comfortable when questioned and should learn from that question. It's just the difference," Gandhi said.
The Congress leader was responding to a query when asked that the BJP engages in hatred and violence.
To another query about the press freedom in India and the arrest of a senior journalist on charges of espionage, Gandhi said, "I think there is a weakening of press freedom and it is not hidden and it is apparent in India, the rest of the world can see it."
Asserting that press freedom is very important for India, he said:
"One should be open to criticism and one should listen to criticism and that's the feedback that builds democracy. On multiple access there is a clampdown on institutions that allowed the Indian people to talk and negotiate. I view India as a negotiation between people, different languages, different cultures etc. and architectures that Mahatma Gandhi set up was to allow that negotiation to be carried out fairly and freely."
"And that structure that allows the negotiation between India's people is going under pressure," he added.
To another query on the Opposition unity, the Congress leader, who is on a six-day visit to the US, said:
"The opposition is pretty well united, and its getting more and more united."
He noted that "we are having conversations with all the opposition".
"I think quite a lot of good work is happening there. Its a complicated discussion because there are spaces where we are competing with the opposition. So a bit of give and take is required. But I am confident it will happen," Gandhi said on the Opposition unity.
Asked about the Citizenship law, the former Congress Chief added that he thinks that all Indian people have a right to expression, religious freedom.
"All should feel free to express themselves. I don't differentiate between any community and any caste. I think India is a conversation and the freer and more open the conversation becomes, India will become more powerful," he noted.
While addressing 'Mohabbat Ki Dukaan' event in San Francisco in the United States on Wednesday, Rahul Gandhi who has been dismissed as MP had also slammed the Narendra Modi government for its ant-Muslim, anti-Dalit and ant-Minority agenda.
"What is happening to Muslims in India today, happened to Dalits in the 1980s" and it has "to be fought with affection".
The Congress leader was speaking at the 'Mohabbat Ki Dukaan' event in San Francisco in the United States.
"It is being felt by the Muslims most directly because it is done most directly to them. But in fact, it is done to all communities. The way you (Muslims) are feeling attacked, I can guarantee Sikhs, Christians, Dalits, and tribals are feeling the same. You can't cut hatred with hatred., but only with love and affection," Gandhi said. "Also, this is a periodical thing. What is happening to Muslims in India today happened to Dalits in the 1980s. If you went to UP in the 1980s, this was happening with Dalits...We have to challenge it, fight it and do it with love and affection and not with hatred and we will do that," he added.
"It is being felt by the Muslims most directly because it is done most directly to them. But in fact, it is done to all communities. The way you (Muslims) are feeling attacked, I can guarantee Sikhs, Christians, Dalits, and tribals are feeling the same. You can't cut hatred with hatred., but only with love and affection," Gandhi said.
"Also, this is a periodical thing. What is happening to Muslims in India today happened to Dalits in the 1980s. If you went to UP in the 1980s, this was happening with Dalits...We have to challenge it, fight it and do it with love and affection and not with hatred and we will do that," he added.
"Idea of India at risk"
To a question about the central government trying to impose the idea of one language, the former Wayanad Lok Sabha MP said:
"The definition of India in the Constitution is a union of states. And within our Constitution the idea of language, culture, history and each one of them has to be protected."
Slamming the BJP and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), he said:
"The BJP and the RSS are attacking that idea and the Constitution. For me Tamil is more than a language to Tamil people. It is not just a language, but it is their history, culture and their way of life. And I will never ever allow the Tamil language to be threatened because for me threatening the Tamil language is threatening the idea of India. Threatening Bengali, Punjabi, Kannada and Hindi all are attacks on India. Our strength comes from our diversity. Our strength comes from accepting that we are all different but we can work together."
The former Congress chief once again reiterated his party's push for the caste census.
"When we were in the system, we had carried out a caste census. But the BJP government is not releasing the data. The idea behind the caste census was to have an X-ray of Indian society to find out what are the exact demographics of the society, how many people of different communities, and different castes are there. So without knowing the demographics and who is who, it is difficult to distribute wealth and power effectively. "And that is the reason why we are pushing the BJP for issuing caste census data and they are not doing that. When we come to power we will do that," he said.
"When we were in the system, we had carried out a caste census. But the BJP government is not releasing the data. The idea behind the caste census was to have an X-ray of Indian society to find out what are the exact demographics of the society, how many people of different communities, and different castes are there. So without knowing the demographics and who is who, it is difficult to distribute wealth and power effectively.
"And that is the reason why we are pushing the BJP for issuing caste census data and they are not doing that. When we come to power we will do that," he said.
He also said that Congress is committed to making India a fair place, sayind "we understand that India today in terms of treatment of Dalits, tribals, poor and minorities, is not a fair place."
"There is a Nyay Scheme which can provide minimum income to every Indian, schemes like MGNREGA, increase in public education, public healthcare and I think these are things that can be done to make it a more fair place," he said.
Rahul is on a six-day visit to the US. He has addressed several programmes and also attended meetings in cities of San Francisco and Washington.
His remarks on the BJP government has created furore back at home.
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