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Congress Vice-President Rahul Gandhi on Thursday came down heavily on the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)'s ideological mentor Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), saying its authoritarian mindset “murders” individuality and such a thought process was now running India. Gandhi was addressing the national convention of his party’s youth wing the National Students Union of India. “This is your fight. Wherever they (RSS) try to impose their ideology, you go there and stop them. Wherever they try to establish their order, show them our (Congress) disorder.”
Even as speculation was rife over former prime minister Manmohan Singh’s meeting with Narendra Modi on Wednesday, Gandhi took a jibe at Modi saying, “Our former PM Manmohan Singh criticised the health of the economy in the morning and by evening, Modi took a one-hour lesson from him.” Singh had attacked the Modi government on its claims on the economic front, while speaking at the same event.
The Congress vice-president said, “Earlier, I thought things should become orderly. But it took me 10 years to understand this apparent disorder is in the DNA and strength of the Congress family.”
Hitting out at the PM, Gandhi said, “One person knows everything. Whether it is about farmers' issues or education or even clothes, only one person knows everything. We say let everyone come, sit together and speak on issues. A solution will emerge. They (RSS and BJP) say you come and sit here silently... Only one person will speak,” he said.
Gandhi urged NSUI workers to fight the RSS in educational institutions wherever it is imposing its ideology. He said, “RSS does not allow debate or dialogue. Discipline is used as an excuse to murder individuality and an excuse to silence lakhs of people. They raise their arms like they did in Germany. I won't even do that.”
Emphasising that the Congress mindset was that shared by all Indians, he said, “There are internal dialogues inside Congress party. On that side (BJP), they have stopped internal dialogue. They are trying to stop the internal dialogue of the entire country.”
After a year of being in Opposition, Gandhi has been aggressively taking on the ruling BJP and the PM losing no opportunity to hit out at them.
