Lucknow: Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi launched a sharp attack on the Centre while attempting to reach out to Dalit voters by praising B. R. Ambedkar and Kanshi Ram.
Addressing party workers in Lucknow, Gandhi targeted Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the BJP and the India–US trade and energy arrangements, alleging that the government had compromised the country’s energy security.
He claimed that Union minister Hardeep Singh Puri had been named in the Epstein files and alleged links between the minister’s family and funding from George Soros. Gandhi also said Modi was “psychologically finished” and accused him of working in the interests of the United States rather than India.
“Prime Minister Modi has compromised the country’s energy security because the United States will now decide where India buys oil from. The situation in the energy sector will worsen,” Gandhi said.
Invoking Dalit icons, Gandhi said Kanshi Ram had spoken about equality in society and argued that the Congress had not done enough in the past. According to him, that gap helped Kanshi Ram emerge as a powerful leader in Uttar Pradesh politics.
“If the Congress had done its work properly, Kanshi Ram would not have succeeded. If Jawaharlal Nehru were alive today, Kanshi Ram would have been a Congress chief minister,” Gandhi said. He also accused the BJP of dividing society into “15 and 85 per cent”, alleging that benefits were concentrated among a small section.
Gandhi further alleged that the Modi government does not follow the ideological principles of the Constitution. He said the voices of Dalit leaders are reflected in the Constitution while figures such as Vinayak Damodar Savarkar and Nathuram Godse are not part of its ideological framework.
Also Watch:
Criticising the government over trade ties with the US, Gandhi claimed India would import goods worth about Rs 9 lakh crore from the United States. “I want to ask what will happen to our businesses. Cotton, soyabean, fruits, almonds and walnuts from American farmers will enter the Indian market and destroy local producers,” he said.
Gandhi also called for stronger commitment from party workers in Uttar Pradesh. “Congress only needs 100 people in UP who are ready to sacrifice everything and say they will not step back from the goal. Then our work will be done,” he said.
He also advised party workers against raising slogans in his name. When supporters began chanting “Rahul Gandhi zindabad”, he stopped them and said such slogans would not help the party. “Nothing happens by raising slogans. Change comes when a person decides that what is happening is unacceptable and resolves to fight against it,” he said.
