 "Rahul Gandhi, Rahul, congress leader")
Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi | (Photo: PTI)
Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Thursday said Prime Minister Narendra Modi should apologise not only for the collapse of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj’s statue in Sindhudurg district, but also for demonetisation, anti-farmer bills and GST.
Modi should say sorry to each and every citizen of Maharashtra for the insult caused to the legendary 17th century warrior king when the statue at Rajkot fort collapsed on August 26, he added.
“I want to ask the prime minister what he is sorry for, is it because the contract to make the Shivaji statue was given to an RSS person who had no merit, or for the corruption in the proces,” Gandhi said.
Small and medium businesses were being finished for the benefit of “two people”, he said, adding that Adani and Ambani groups cannot generate employment. Late Patangrao Kadam dedicated his life to the Congress party, Maharashtra and the country, and worked for development and spread of education, the Raebareli MP said. When Indira Gandhi lost the Lok Sabha election, Kadam stood by her and organised a public meeting even at 2 am, Gandhi noted. Maharashtra has always been a progressive state, and Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, Chhatrapati Shahu Maharaj, Dr B R Ambedkar and Mahatma Jyotirao Phule showed the progressive path from which everyone draws inspiration, he said.
“The ideology of these towering personalities is the same as that of the Congress. Maharashtra has the foundation and DNA of Congress ideology. Today’s politics is a fight between two ideologies. We want social progress and to take everyone along, while the BJP wants development of a selected few,” Gandhi said.
The BJP wanted the caste structure to remain the same, finish the Constitution, take over the Election Commission, educational institutions, legal system and bureaucracy, the Leader of Opposition alleged. “The only merit needed for joining these institutions is you should be from the RSS,” he said.
Reiterating his demand for a caste census, he said it would provide a snapshot of how many people are there in different social strata, and their share in the country’s wealth and decision-making.
“But the BJP says no. Now the RSS has said that caste census is necessary….Congress and INDIA bloc will ensure that caste census is carried out at any cost. We need to understand the truth, who benefits from the country’s wealth,” he said, In a further dig at Modi for apologising over the collapse of the Shivaji statue, Gandhi said Patangrao Kadam worked for 60 years with transparency, love and genuine efforts, but he never asked for forgiveness. “Forgiveness is asked for when you make a mistake,” Gandhi added.
Kadam’s statue will stand strong for the next 50-70 years, he said.
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge in his speech said the collapse of Shivaji Maharaj’s statue was an insult to the state and the country.”Kadam’s statue has been made by Ram Sutar who is an accomplished sculptor,” he noted. The Opposition’s Maha Vikas Aghadi was ready to fight the coming assembly polls in Maharashtra unitedly, Kharge said, adding that “all the real NCP and Shiv Sena leaders are with us, the fake ones are on the other side.” If the BJP loses Maharashtra, the Modi government will also be in danger, the Congress chief said while asking people not to get wooed by the state government’s Ladki Bahin scheme for women.
(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
First Published: Sep 05 2024 | 5:58 PM IST
