If BJP wins, RSS will take over, warns Rahul

Congress vice-president campaigns in Karbi Anglong, Karimganj and Cachar districts

OUR BUREAU & IANS

HOWRAGHAT/SILCHAR, March 29: Addressing a series of public meetings in Karbi Anglong, Karimganj and Cachar districts on Tuesday, Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi took on the BJP-led Government at the Centre for carrying out a divisive agenda while  ‘ignoring the interests of farmers, working class people and the poor’.

Landing by chopper in Diphu amidst inclement weather in the morning, Gandhi lost no time in firing salvos at Prime Minister rendra Modi and saffron rule at a rally in Karbi Anglong Sports Association Stadium (KASA).

“Modi ji comes, makes lofty promises and then leaves. He never fulfills his promises. Modi ji came to Assam before the Lok Sabha polls and made promises. However, his promises are yet to be fulfilled,” Gandhi said.

Warning that the Sangh Parivar is making inroads, Gandhi said, “The RSS wants to impose one ideology across the country. If one ideology is imposed everywhere, what will happen to your language, culture, religion, tradition etc?”

“If the BJP comes to power in Assam, Assam will not be administered from Assam but from gpur or from the Prime Minister’s Office,” he said.

Alleging that trouble erupts in every state where there is BJP government, Gandhi said, “The BJP always wants to make people fight against each other”.

“When there was a Congress government in Harya, it was completely peaceful. However, a month after the BJP government came to power in Harya, violence started. They did it in Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, everywhere,” he said. The Congress vice-president then warned that “the BJP wants to do the same thing in Assam by creating violence”.

Countering Modi’s non-development allegations, Gandhi said it was the Congress government in Assam that brought peace to the State 15 years back and that there cannot be any development without peace.

“The Congress undertook massive work in Assam in the last 15 years but the biggest achievement of the Congress government is that the party brought peace to the once troubled and violent state,” he said.

“Assam is a state of different castes, languages and cultures. Trying to rule it is not so easy. Equal rights and empowerment with power decentralization are very important to the State,” he said.

Lauding Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi, Rahul Gandhi said that Gogoi, unlike rendra Modi, worked more and made less promises.  “No community will be neglected. Maximum and equal facility will be given to every class of people and community,” said the Gandhi scion.

He also assured to give a package of Rs1,000 crore to Karbi Anglong and set up medical, nursing, and engineering colleges in the hill district if the Congress is voted back to power.

On industrialist Vijay Mallya, against whom a case is going on in the Supreme Court over a whopping Rs.9,000-crore debt, Gandhi said: “Modi ji also did not tell you that one of his ministers met Vijay Mallya and after that Mallya fled the country, packing his six suitcases.”

“Modi ji also did not tell you that Lalit Modi, who has thousands of crores of black money, also fled the country and no effort was made to bring him back,” he said, referring to the former Indian Premier League (IPL) commissioner who is currently in Europe.

“Modi ji did not tell you that on budget day, (Fince Minister) Arun Jaitley brought a new law which says all thieves and goondas (hooligans) can turn their black money into white by paying some meagre tax,” said the Gandhi scion.

In his speech, Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi claimed all-round development in the State during Congress rule, with maximum importance given to road communication, electricity, health and education sectors.

Around 8,000 people from Howraghat, Diphu and Bokajan constituencies took part in the rally. AICC secretary PC Joshi, APCC president Anjan Dutta, MACs, EMs including Karbi Anglong Autonomous Council (KAAC) CEM Tuliram Ronghang, and the four Congress candidates of Diphu, Howraghat, Baithalangso and Bokajan - Bidya Sing Engleng,  Kharsing Engti, Dr Mansing Rongpi and Klengdong Engti were present.

Later in the day, Rahul Gandhi addressed public meetings at Nilambazar in Karimganj district and Kachudaram in Cachar district, lacing his speeches with more diatribes against the Modi government.

“I am well aware of the problems of Barak Valley and it is my assurance to you all that from now on, this region will be uppermost in my mind. Schemes and projects will be taken up to connect those areas which need connectivity. Highways and other basic infrastructure will be made. More development will take place, more hospitals, primary health centres and all that people want would be given”, he promised.

The Gandhi scion also said that the Congress government of the State has the agenda to take Assam forward which is what Tarun Gogoi as chief minister has been doing.

Rahul Gandhi was campaigning for Siddique Ahmed, candidate for South Karimganj, and Amul Haque Laskar, candidate for Soi, and for all the other 13 candidates of the party in Barak Valley.