Agencies
New Delhi, Nov 13: Rahul Gandhi today tore into Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his BJP, saying "India is ruled by people who are angry." He also derided the 'Clean India' campaign as a photo-op.
"On one hand houses are being painted and roads are being cleaned. Photo opportunities are happening. Pictures are being taken. On the other hand, poison is being spread," the Congress vice president said at a party conclave in Delhi to mark the 125th birth anniversary of Jawaharlal Nehru, India's first prime minister.
"This is the only country which won its war of independence with love. Today India is ruled by people who are angry. They say we have to promote Hindi, not English. The Congress is the only party that has the strength to fight this," Mr Gandhi told thousands of party workers.
"After the British left, leaders like Nehru did not allow English to go away. Nehru said we must be connected to the world...the British have left but we must draw benefits from their language. If we had removed English, then there would be no IIT, no I-T. Our people would not have achieved so much in the US," Mr Gandhi said.
He commented that the foundation of that brotherhood was "being weakened" by those ruling the country, without naming the BJP, which took power in May after defeating the Congress after two straight terms.
"I am not saying the Congress has not made mistakes. We have made mistakes, but our heart and ideology are in the right place," Mr Gandhi said, appearing to address criticism of his leadership by a section of party leaders.
Responding to the comments, BJP spokesperson Shahnawaz Hussain said, "Politics of hate is being spread by them, not us. They keep looking for a chance to target the prime minister."
The Congress suffered its worst defeat in the national election, winning only 44 seats in Rahul Gandhi's stewardship. |
