Rahul Gandhi in Paris: Once again Congress leader Rahul Gandhi launched a scathing attack on the saffron party from the foreign soil. During an interaction with students and academics in Paris, the 53-year-old Opposition leader hits out at the governing party saying that it is out to get power at any cost and that there is nothing Hindu about their actions.
The Congress leader shared his thoughts on a broad range of topics including his ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’, the Opposition alliance’s fight to defend India's democratic structures and other key issues. During his interaction, Gandhi stressed that the Opposition was committed to fighting for the "soul of India” and the country would “come out just fine” from the current “turbulence”.
ALSO READ | Opposition on same page with Centre on Russia-Ukraine issue: Rahul Gandhi in Belgium
In response to a question about the rise of “Hindu nationalism” in the country, Rahul Gandhi said, "I've read the ‘Gita’, I've read a number of the Upanishads, I've read many Hindu books; there is nothing Hindu about what the BJP does, absolutely nothing."
"I have not read anywhere, in no Hindu book, from no learned Hindu person have I ever heard that you should terrorise, harm people who are weaker than you. So, this idea, this word, Hindu nationalists, this is a wrong word. They're not Hindu nationalists. They have nothing to do with Hinduism. They are out to get power at any cost, and they will do anything to get power… They want dominance of a few people and that is what they are about. There is nothing Hindu about them,” he said.
The former Congress president asserted that 60 per cent of India voted for the opposition parties while just 40 per cent voted for the ruling party. "So this idea that the majority community is voting for the BJP, this is a wrong idea. The majority community actually vote more for us than they vote for them,” he asserted.
ALSO READ | Rahul Gandhi leaves for week-long Europe tour, will address EU Parliamentarians, Indian diaspora
On the India-Bharat row, he said that in the Constitution, India is defined as "India that is Bharat, a union of states". "So, these states have come together to form India or Bharat. The most important thing is that the voice of all the people who are included in these states is heard loud and clear and no voice is crushed or intimidated," he added.
