BJP like 'class bully', along with RSS, captures every institution: Rahul Gandhi

Shillong, Feb 22 (IANS) Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday alleged that the BJP was like a "class bully" that respects no one and the party, along with the RSS, captured every single institution of the country.

Adressing his first election rally in Malki Ground here, ahead of the February 27 Meghalaya Assembly polls, he alleged that the BJP and RSS have captured the Parliament, media, bureaucracy, judiciary and these are under pressure and attacked by the ideology of the two organisations.

Gandhi said that the BJP and the RSS refused to accept that India has multiple ideas, not a single idea, community, religion and language.

"The BJP-RSS thinks that they know everything, understands everything and have no respect for anybody else. We have to fight them collectively to defeat them."

Referring to the traditional Meghalaya jacket he was wearing, Gandhi told the gathering that he was wearing it as a sign of respect for the state's culture and tradition. "But if I wore the jacket and attacked your religion, culture, history and language, I would be insulting you.

Saying that ideology of BJP and RSS is trying to destroy the culture, religion, and language tradition of the country, Gandhi said that the Congress would not allow them to do so.

He said that BJP has been attacking every single state and they are trying to impose one idea in each state of the country including Meghalaya.

Alleging "many corruption cases in Meghalaya", the Congress leader said that as part of the corruption, the dome of the Meghalaya Assembly building collapsed earlier so that it can be rebuilt.

"During Covid pandemic, the party leaders in Meghalaya government were busy stealing money leading to the death of many people. In the massive rice scam, one lakh bags of rice meant for the PDS in Meghalaya found in neighbouring Assam. Over 13 lakh ton coal illegally mined and Rs 650 crore taken away," he claimed.

Urging the people to vote for the Congress candidates, Gandhi said that the to make the party youthful, 47 of the 60 Congress candidates are first timers and 10 of them are women.

He said that the Congress gave five major pre-poll commitments to fulfil if the party comes to power. These include, empowerment of women, one job in each household, uninterrupted power supply, to make Meghalaya a drug free state and a corruption free Meghalaya.

Gandhi. criticising the Trinamool Congress, said that people know the history of the party which has been always creating violence in Bengal and scores of its leaders are involved in chit fund scams.

"They (Trinamool) went to Goa, spent huge money to hide the misgovernance of the BJP. The TMC came to Meghalaya to ensure BJP came to power," he alleged.

Referring to his Bharat Jodo Yatra, Gandhi said that the over 4,000 km Yatra from Kanyakumari to Srinagar in slightly more than four months, was learning, listening to people and telling the country that it is not the place of hateful and hatred.