In an all-out attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Congress on Monday accused him of "being number one" in spreading hatred and dividing the country and said people will not allow him to suppress the voice of 'Bharat Mata', as party top brass led by Sonia Gandhi held a protest at Raj Ghat against the amended Citizenship Act.
Gandhi and other leaders read the Preamble to the Constitution and vowed to protect it during the five-hour sit-in 'Satyagraha for Unity' held by the opposition party to express solidarity with youths agitating against the new law.
In his brief concluding address, party leader Rahul Gandhi accused the prime minister of trying to spread hatred and to break the country, but warned that the people will not let him attack the Constitution and suppress the "voice of Bharat Mata".
Former prime minister Manmohan Singh, A K Antony, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, Ahmed Patel, Ghulam Nabi Azad, Mallikarjun Kharge, Anand Sharma, Ashok Gehlot and Kamal Nath were among the senior Congress leaders who were part of the demonstration demanding protection of the rights of people as enshrined in the Constitution.
The Congress' protest came a day after the prime minister said at a rally here that his government has not yet held any deliberation on a pan-India National Register of Citizens (NRC), comments seen as a departure from Home Minister Amit Shah's assertion in Parliament on rolling it out.
"You should not forget that if you stand before the voice of 'Bharat Mata' and try to suppress students, judiciary, then 'Bharat Mata' will give a strong reply," he said attacking the prime minister.
"The people of the country, this voice of 'Bharat Mata' will not allow you to attack the country and not allow this country to be divided," he also said.
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He said Modi should tell the country why was he suppressing the voice of students, why were they not getting jobs and why did he destroy the country's economy, which was its strength.
"You could not provide jobs, you could not run the economy, that is why you are hiding behind hatred and that is why you are trying to divide the country...
"You can only do one thing -- you have been taught by your organisation for years and no one is better at doing this -- on how to divide India, how to spread hatred and break the country and that is what has been taught to you for years. You are number one at this. Today, the entire country understands this," he said.
This was Rahul Gandhi's first public appearance at the party's protest after his sister Priyanka Gandhi Vadra sat on a silent protest at India Gate last Monday. Gandhi has been away on an official tour to South Korea.
The Congress leader said the country's enemies tried their best to suppress this voice, destroy the progress of the country, to demolish people's strength which is the country's economy, but the voice of India fought against it.
"What our enemies could not do, is now being done by Narendra Modi to stall the country's progress. He wants to divide the country," Rahul Gandhi alleged while addressing the gathering at the end of the protest.
Rajasthan Chief Minister Gehlot and Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Nath said their governments will not implement the new citizenship law as it was against the basic principles of the Constitution. Chhattisgarh minister T S Singh Deo, on behalf of Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel, also said the legislation will not be implemented in his state.
Several parts of India witnessed widespread protests by students, youths, civil society groups and political parties in the last few days over the controversial citizenship act and against any pan-India NRC.
During the protest, Sonia Gandhi, Singh and Rahul Gandhi read out the Preamble to the Constitution. The party members also observed one-minute silence in support of their cause and against the BJP-led government's policies.
After reading out the Preamble in Hindi, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra said that her party resolves to protect the Constitution in the name of all those "martyred" during the anti-CAA protests.
"In the name of Bijnor's 22-year-old Anas, who used to earn money for his family through a coffee-vending machine and had recently got married. In the name of 21-year-old Suleiman, who was studying for the UPSC exam and used to take tuition," she said.
"In the name of all the children who have been martyred in this movement. In the name of Bijnor's Omraj Saini, whose five children are waiting for him and he is in the hospital, injured. In their name, we resolve today that we will protect the Constitution and will not allow it to be destroyed," the Congress general secretary said.
Another Congress general secretary, K C Venugopal, said the programme was organised to remind the government about the strength of India's Constitution.
"This is to show solidarity with all the students of the country who are agitating for the cause of freedom of speech and expression. The country is going through a very difficult period because of the bad policies of this government.
"Our workers are here to express solidarity with our students, youth and those suffering due to the bad policies of the government, especially those protesting against the amended Citizenship Act," he said.
Some religious leaders were also present there.