Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi today attacked RSS over the JNU issue accusing it of muzzling the youth by branding them as "anti-nationals" and asserted that they will "stand up" and "challenge" it and BJP.
"The (JNU) student union president gave a very nice speech on poor, weak, adivasis and the deprived...The BJP government said he is anti-national and got him arrested.
"The more the youths of India are suppressed, the more they will stand up and challenge you," he said at a Congress rally here.
Lambasting RSS, Rahul charged it with attempting to impose its ideology on the country ignoring the identity and history of the states and muzzling the youth by branding them as "anti-nationals".
"Whenever the youth of the country speaks against the RSS and their ideology, they are called anti-nationals. Deshbhakti ke licence ki dukan khol rakha hain RSS? (Only RSS can say who are patriots and anti-nationals)".
Continuing his tirade, he said "Who are they? They (RSS) are those who had pumped three bullets into (Mahatma) Gandhi, sought forgiveness from British rulers and today they tell us to take licence from them on desh bhakti.
"RSS says there should be only one thought process in India. Then what will happen to your language, identity, culture, history? There are different vichardhara in different parts of the country. Will RSS tell us what to wear, listen to, what the youth should think ?"
Congress vice-president said RSS only wants power to "snatch away people's strength. We won't allow that."
BJP chief Amit Shah during the day accused Gandhi of backing "anti-nationals" and alleged that he had "proved" that national interest had no place in his mind.
He also asked if the Congress vice-president had joined hands with separatist forces and wanted another division of India.
Speaking on the raging controversy for the first time, Shah had also demanded that Gandhi apologise for his stand on JNU issue saying support to anti-national forces in the name of the Left's progressive ideology was not acceptable.
Earlier at a meeting at Gohpur in Sonitpur district, Rahul said "BJP and RSS are following the agenda of creating divide and hatred by imposing their views forcibly on people, which can be seen from the recent developments in JNU."
He alleged that BJP and RSS have no respect for the diversity of Indian culture and sentiments of the people.
"They just want everybody to follow their views.
Referring to the suicide of Hyderabad Central University
scholar Rohith Vemula, Rahul said "He had pain in his mind. He did no wrong, only spoke about his pain. But the mantris of the country ordered the university authority to throw him out. There was so much pressure on him that he committed suicide."
The Congress leader had joined a midnight protest march by HCU students on its campus and even spent a night there.
"When students in IIT speak for dalits the Government of India says they are anti-nationals," he added.
Hitting out at BJP and RSS at Gohpur, he said BJP has over the years followed the policy of "creating a divide between Hindus and Muslims, branding the latter as terrorists."
Referring to the coming Assembly polls in Assam and Uttar Pradesh, the Congress vice-president told the meeting at Titabor, the stronghold of Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi, "We will fight RSS in both the states and wherever they go."
"Patriotism is not the monopoly of RSS. Assam has a tradition of people living in unity with all people for thousands of years. Explain to the RSS what is Assam and its history," he exhorted the people.
Stating Assam should have a government that stands for all people, he said the state takes together every one from all religions, caste, community, the youth, old, women and poor and that was its strength.
