Rahul Gandhi was speaking at Congress' 'Hain Taiyyar Hum' rally
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Thursday said the OBCs, Dalits and tribals do not have enough representation in many sectors and reiterated that a caste census will be conducted if the Opposition's INDIA alliance came to power, while party chief Mallikarjun Kharge promised implementation of the NYAY scheme to empower women and the poor.
The two leaders were speaking at the Congress's 139th foundation day rally -- titled 'Hain Taiyyar Hum' (we are ready) -- in Nagpur city which houses the headquarters of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), and sounded the bugle for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
Nagpur has two ideologies, one of Dr B R Ambedkar which is progressive and the other of the RSS which is "destroying the nation", Mr Kharge said.
Notably, the city is also home to the Deekshabhoomi where Ambedkar converted to Buddhism along with his followers.
Senior party leader Sonia Gandhi and general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra did not attend the rally.
Mr Gandhi attacked the BJP and RSS, accusing them of taking the country back to the pre-independence era of slavery, and said the BJP ideology is the ideology of "Raja-Maharajas" (kings) who do not listen to anyone and where an order comes from the top and everybody has to follow it.
Citing a conversation with a BJP MP who was earlier with the Congress, he claimed that the BJP treats its workers and leaders like slaves and the voice of the lower rungs is not heard. That was what happened with (present Maharashtra Congress chief) Nana Patole who left the saffron party after questioning Prime Minister Narendra Modi on farmers' issues, he added.
In the Congress, the concerns of the workers are listened to by the higher-ups including him, Mr Gandhi said.
Slamming the BJP for questioning the Congress's contribution, Mr Gandhi said before independence the princely states were "in partnership with the British," while it was the Constitution shaped by Mahatma Gandhi, Ambedkar and Jawaharlal Nehru which protected the people's rights and gave every citizen the right to vote.
"The people in the RSS and BJP were against this... for years they never saluted the national flag," he alleged.
The people of India including women had no rights before independence and Dalits were subjected to untouchability, Mr Gandhi said, alleging that "this was the ideology of the RSS which Congress changed, and these people want to bring back the pre-independence era situation again."
"The foundation of the battle for political power is ideology and the Congress's objective is to hand over power to the common man," he said.
The BJP government has pushed a large number of people back into poverty, he claimed.
"We do not want two Indias. Only the INDIA alliance can provide employment to the youth," Mr Gandhi said.
He reiterated that after coming to power at the Centre, the INDIA alliance's government will conduct a caste survey.
"How many youth have been given employment in the last ten years by the Modi government? Unemployment is at an all-time high now," the Congress leader said.
OBCs, Dalits and tribals do not have representation in commensurate with their population in many sectors, Mr Gandhi claimed.
"Earlier, Prime Minister Modi would describe himself as an OBC. But after my demand (of caste census), he says there is only one caste, the poor. If there is only one caste, why do you say you are an OBC," the Congress leader asked.
The Green Revolution, White Revolution and Information Technology revolution were ushered in by farmers, women and the youth, respectively, while the Congress governments laid down the vision for these revolutions, Mr Gandhi said.
He also accused the BJP of capturing all democratic institutions.
Speaking in Marathi, Mr Kharge said Nagpur is the land of revolutionaries where Ambedkar and Mahatma Gandhi once worked.
"If the BJP and RSS came to power again, democracy will be finished. There are two ideologies in Nagpur, one is the progressive one which belongs to Ambedkar, and other is that of the RSS which is destroying the country," the veteran leader said.
Prime Minister Modi was against social justice and equality, Mr Kharge alleged.
"Democracy is under threat. Inflation has skyrocketed, unemployment is also high. There are 30 lakh vacancies which are not being filled up because Backward Classes would have to be accomodated," he said.
The poor are becoming more poor while the rich are becoming richer under the Modi government, Mr Kharge said.
"If the INDIA alliance is voted to power, the NYAY scheme will be implemented for the empowerment of the poor including women," he said, referring to the scheme promised by the Congress before the 2019 elections where the poor households were to get Rs 6000 per month.
PM Modi does not visit Manipur where atrocities took place on women but he goes to Surat to inaugurate a diamond bourse, the Congress president said.
He also alleged that the prime minister does not respect Parliament as he does not attend its proceedings. "To protect one BJP MP who signed the documents to allow the intruders who jumped into the Lok Sabha well, 146 MPs (of the Opposition) have been suspended," Mr Kharge said, referring to the security breach at Parliament earlier this month and its aftermath.
The BJP was trying to divide the INDIA grouping "because if we unite, the BJP will be nowhere," he said.
The BJP government did not fulfill its promises of creating two crore jobs every year and giving Rs 15 lakh to each citizen, Mr Kharge said.
"Support the INDIA alliance to save democracy and the country. Now, leaving aside all important issues facing the country, the BJP will highlight God," he said referring to the Ram temple inauguration at Ayodhya scheduled for the next month.
The victories of the Congress in Karnataka and Telangana assembly elections were morale-boosters and there was no need to get disheartened by the recent defeats in other states, he said.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)