BJP-RSS only interested in power, working towards dividing country: Rahul Gandhi
New Delhi, Jul 27: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi charged on Thursday that the BJP-RSS are only interested in power and are working towards dividing the country as they do not care about the sorrow and pain of people.
Addressing a Youth Congress programme virtually, Gandhi said, "The BJP-RSS only want power and can do anything to get power. For power, they will burn Manipur, they will burn the entire country. They don't care about the sorrow and pain of the country."
Be it Haryana, Punjab or Uttar Pradesh, "they will sell the entire country as they only want power," Gandhi alleged and added that for the Congress, this is the fight.
"On one side, you are sitting and you have love for the country and whenever the country is hurt or its citizens are hurt, you will also feel hurt and you will be sad. But, they do not have any such feeling.... The RSS-BJP people do not feel any pain. Because they do the work of dividing the country and have been doing it for centuries," he told the Indian Youth Congress workers.
Addressing the "Behtar Bharat Ki Buniyaad" convention in Bengaluru virtually, Gandhi said the fight is between the BJP-RSS who are only interested in power and dividing the country and the Congress ideology of loving and caring people and uniting the country.
"...you are the future of the Congress party, you have patriotism in your heart. When the country gets hurt, wherever it is, be it in Manipur, be it in Tamil Nadu, be it in Jammu and Kashmir, be it in Uttar Pradesh, be it anywhere, when the country gets hurt, any citizen of the country gets hurt, whether he is Hindu, Muslim, Sikh, Christian, Tamil speaking, Bengali speaking, your heart will hurt. You will be sad, you will not even know why the mood got spoiled. But there is no such thing in their heart," he said.
The BJP, however, said it is not an ideological battle going on in the country but a battle for development and progress against dynastic politics and corruption.
Gandhi said the Bharat Jodo Yatra led by him from Kanyakumari to Srinagar has shown that one should go to people, embrace them, suffer a bit for them and bear some pain.
"If you do this task, you will become the leader of the Congress in the coming times. If you do not feel pain in your heart, then you cannot become a leader of the Congress party. If Manipur is hurt and you are not hurt, then you cannot become the leader of the Congress. If a woman is raped and you do not feel pain in your heart, then you cannot become a leader of the Congress party," he said.
The former Congress chief said the slogan of "nafrat ke bazaar mein, mohabbat ki dukaan kholiye" (we have to open a shop of love in the market of hatred) emerged from the Bharat Jodo Yatra and asked the Youth Congress workers to do this work.
Accusing the BJP-RSS of having opened a market of hatred in Manipur, he said, "Let us go and open the shop of love. Wherever they spread hatred, go there and open a shop of love."
On the opposition bloc naming itself Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance, Gandhi said, "We are INDIA and as soon as we named it, Narendra Modi ji started abusing the same INDIA, he didn't even think that he was abusing the holy word Hindustan. There is so much pride and arrogance (in him)...."
Gandhi alleged the RSS wants to capture all institutions and instal their people in these institutions.
The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) is the ideological fountainhead of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
Targeting the prime minister, Gandhi told the convention, "You will be surprised that the prime minister did not say a word about Manipur.... Many of you must have felt that he should fly to Imphal and talk to people there at least."
"Any other prime minister in the past, a Congress prime minister would have sat there, but you must be wondering why Prime Minister Narendra Modi is not going to Manipur?... Because Narendra Modi ji is the prime minister of a few selected people, the prime minister of the RSS, he has nothing to do with Manipur," Gandhi alleged.
In his address to the media, Prime Minister Modi has condemned the parading of two women naked Manipur saying it has shamed the entire country. The Congress has been demanding that the prime minister makes a statement in Parliament on the Manipur situation.
Gandhi alleged that the BJP-RSS know that their ideology has "burnt" Manipur, "but it doesn't matter to Narendra Modi ji and I can guarantee that the prime minister did not feel the pain in his heart on Manipur".
The ruling BJP has accused the opposition of avoiding a discussion on Manipur in Parliament and disrupting proceedings.
The northeastern state of Manipur has been engulfed in ethnic violence since May 3, in which more than 160 people have lost their lives.
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Akash Singh says signature celebration fuels motivation, reinforces dominance
Lucknow (PTI): Pacer Akash Singh caught the eye with his unique celebration during Lucknow Super Giants' win over Chennai Super Kings, pulling out a piece of paper from his pocket after a wicket, a gesture he said was aimed at "motivating" himself and "asserting dominance" over batters.
The left-arm pacer pulled out a scrappy piece of paper after each of the three wickets he took in LSG seven-wicket win over CSK, with the message reading: "Akki on fire -- Akash knows how to take wickets in T20 cricket.
The 24-year-old, who began his IPL journey with Rajasthan Royals and was part of Chennai Super Kings’ title-winning campaign in 2023 before moving to Lucknow Super Giants, registered his best IPL figures with 3 for 26 on Friday.
"'Akki knows how to take wickets in T20 cricket', right?" Akash said when asked about the message on the piece of paper, adding that it serves as a source of motivation and helps him focus on dominating batters and delivering stronger performances for the team.
"Different things motivate different people. Some days I show the paper, some days I don't, but it reflects my mindset on that particular day. When you carry a piece of paper with something written on it, you manifest things and the most important part is when those manifestations actually materialise," he added.
Akash, who hails from Bharatpur in Rajasthan, said the strong backing from the Lucknow Super Giants support staff over the last two years had played a huge role in his growth as a cricketer.
"I've been with LSG for two years and the most important thing has been the backing from the coaches, even when I'm not in the playing XI. This year we have Bharat Arun sir, last year Zaheer sir was there...Tom Moody. The way they guide us, prepare us and keep us ready for opportunities is very important when there are 25 players in the squad," he said.
"When you are not playing, you naturally seek backing and every player wants to make the most of the opportunities he gets. The support from the captain also matters a lot and with Rishabh bhaiya backing you, the confidence grows and you are able to perform better," Akash said, referring to Rishabh Pant.
Akash said Pant had asked him to trust his strengths ahead of the clash against CSK.
"He told me that the new ball is my strength and that I can swing it both ways. So I just tried to make the best use of my skills. The wicket also had good bounce, so I focused on using the bouncer effectively,” added Akash.
On his success against CSK, Akash said his experience of playing in the IPL since 2020, including a stint with CSK, helped him understand the opposition batters better, while backing his own strengths with the ball also played a key role in his impressive spell.
"Obviously, when you play in the IPL and have shared the dressing room with some players, you understand their strengths and weaknesses. My focus was first to back my own strengths, then exploit their weaknesses and also make the best use of what the wicket was offering," Akash said.
Akash said he had sensed over the last two-three games that an opportunity could come his way after being repeatedly told to "be ready", though he admitted he was unfortunate not to get a chance earlier.
"Two days before the match, during practice, I was told to be ready," he said.
Clarifying that he had not been carrying the piece of paper in anticipation, Akash said he often notes down thoughts that could help improve his game..
"Whenever I’m alone or about to sleep, any thought that comes to my mind which can help my cricket, I write it down. The other night I got this thought and jotted it down on paper," he added.
