I wasn't there during many mistakes of Congress, but happy to take responsibility: Rahul Gandhi
New Delhi, May 4 (PTI): Responding to a question on the 1984 riots and the Congress' relationship with the Sikh community, Rahul Gandhi has said a lot of the "mistakes" the party committed happened when he was not there but added that he was "more than happy" to take responsibility for everything wrong it did in its history.
Gandhi pointed out that he has publicly stated that what happened in the 80s was "wrong".
The remarks by Gandhi were made on April 21 during an interactive session at the Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs at Brown University in the US. The video of the interaction was uploaded on the YouTube channel of the Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs on Saturday.
A Sikh student asked a question as to what attempts he was making to reconcile with the Sikh community and referred to the 1984 Sikh riots in his lengthy poser.
The student also referred to Gandhi's remark during an earlier visit to the US in which he had said the battle he was fighting was about whether Sikhs would be allowed to wear a turban in India or not.
In his reply, Gandhi said, "I don't think that anything scares the Sikhs. The statement I made was, do we want an India where people are uncomfortable to express their religion?"
"As far as the mistakes of the Congress party are concerned, a lot of those mistakes happened when I was not there, but I am more than happy to take responsibility for everything that the Congress party has ever done wrong in its history."
"I have publicly stated that what happened in the 80s was wrong, I have been to the Golden Temple multiple times, I have an extremely good relationship with the Sikh community in India and a loving relationship with them," the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha said.
Tagging that segment of the interaction, BJP IT Department head Amit Malviya said on Saturday, "'You haven't reconciled with the Sikhs', a young man tells Rahul Gandhi to his face, reminding him of the unfounded fearmongering he engaged in during his last visit to the US."
"It is quite unprecedented that Rahul Gandhi is now being ridiculed not just in India, but around the world," Malviya said.
The BJP also attacked Gandhi for calling Lord Ram "a mythological figure" at the same interaction.
During the interaction, Gandhi had said, "All great political thinkers, social reformers and you go back 3,000 years -- Buddha, Guru Nanak, Basava in Karnataka, Narayana Guru in Kerala, Phule, Gandhi, Ambedkar, and you see one stream. None of these are bigots."
"None of these people were saying - 'we want to kill people, we want to isolate people, we want to crush people, we believe that things should be done in one particular way'. All these people, the voices of whom are in our Constitution, are essentially saying the same thing, that carry everybody along (and emphasising on) truth and nonviolence," he had said.
"This, to me, is the bedrock of Indian tradition and Indian history. I don't know one person whom we consider great in India who wasn't of this type," Gandhi had said.
He went on to add, "All our mythological figures, Lord Ram was of that kind, where he was forgiving, he was compassionate. So, I don't consider what the BJP says to be the Hindu idea at all. I consider the Hindu idea to be much more pluralistic, much more embracing, much more affectionate, much more tolerant and open."
There are many people in every state and community who stood for those ideas, lived for those ideas and died for those ideas, he had said at the interaction in the US.
"And Gandhiji is one of those people, probably the best in modern times but there are many of them. To me, hatred and anger against people come from fear. If you are not scared, you don't hate anybody," he said. Further, Gandhi also slammed the BJP and called it a "fringe group".
"I don't view the BJP conception as a Hindu conception. In terms of thinking, they are a fringe group, they are not mainstream. Now that they have captured political power, they have got a huge amount of wealth and they have got power, but they don't represent the large majority of Indian thinkers by any means," Gandhi had said.
Reacting to Gandhi's remarks, Malviya said on Sunday, "Bhagwan Ram is not a mythological figure, he embodies the values, culture, and spiritual essence of Bharat. He represents 'maryada', sacrifice, and righteous leadership, which have shaped our civilisation for thousands of years. He is the soul of Bharat and central to who we are as people."
"Rahul Gandhi and the Congress should stop ridiculing the beliefs of billions of Hindus around the world. People like him and political parties will come and go, but Bhagwan Ram will forever remain a timeless symbol of dharma and an inspiration for generations to come," Malviya said.
At the April 21 interaction, Gandhi also spoke about his demand for a caste census and asserted that he had got a massive "pushback" over the issue. A couple of days later, on April 30, the Centre announced that caste enumeration will be part of the next population census.
"When I push for the caste census, I get massive push back which says this is divisive... if we are talking about building a country, if we are talking about India becoming a powerful country and a rich country, we simply can not tell the bulk of the population that you cannot participate," he had said in the US.
"So to me, caste census is putting the truth on the table. Many people in India just don't want to hear the truth."
The people of India need to know exactly the amount of discrimination that is taking place, he had said.
"I don't believe that you should simply exclude the energy and the attention of the 90 per cent of your population. I don't understand how a country grows and prospers with that strategy," Gandhi had said.
He described caste census as a very powerful weapon, "the first step that will transform the way we think about development and the way we think about politics in India."
"If you look at the work that the Telangana government and Karnataka government are doing, particularly the caste census, those are revolutionary ideas. We feel that is a very very powerful instrument for empowering lower castes," he had said.
After the government's announcement on the matter last week, Rahul Gandhi told reporters that he welcomes the government's "sudden" decision to include caste enumeration in the next census after "11 years of opposing it" but said it should give a timeline for its implementation.
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Cong indulging in anti-national activities, wants illegal immigrants to settle in Assam: PM
Namrup (PTI): Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday launched a scathing attack on the Congress, accusing it of engaging in "anti-national" activities and helping illegal Bangladeshi immigrants to settle in Assam.
The PM, addressing a public rally after unveiling a Rs 10,601-crore fertiliser plant at Namrup in Assam's Dibrugarh district, accused the grand old party of opposing the revision of voter list due to its only aim of grabbing power.
"The Congress is indulging in anti-national activities. They want illegal Bangladeshi immigrants to settle in Assam's forests and land. They only want to strengthen their vote bank, and don't care about the people," he claimed.
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Modi said the opposition party is not concerned about the identity, existence and pride of Assamese people, which the BJP has been trying to protect.
"The Congress is opposing the revision of voter lists as it wants to grab power... They oppose whatever good I try to do... The BJP government will always work to protect the identity, land, pride and existence of Assamese people," Modi asserted.
"Assam must be safeguarded from the poison of Congress' appeasement and vote-bank politics. I assure you all that BJP will stand like a shield to protect Assam's identity and honour," he told thousands of people ahead of the assembly polls.
The Assembly polls to 126 constituencies are likely to take place in March-April next.
Underscoring that BJP governments at the Centre and state are for the poor, tribals, youth and women, Modi said it is working to end decades of violence in Assam and the Northeast.
"Our government has always kept Assam's identity and culture paramount, highlighting symbols of Assamese pride on every platform," he added.
Addressing the rally on the second and final day of his Assam tour, the PM alleged that the Congress has inflicted "so much wrongs" to this country that despite "correcting" those for the last 11 years, a lot of work still remained to bring everything on track.
"When our government awarded Dr Bhupen Hazarika the Bharat Ratna, the Congress openly opposed the decision. Its national president remarked that 'Modi nachne gane walon ko Bharat Ratna de raha hai' (Modi is giving Bharat Ratna to dancers-singers), which is an insult to both Bhupen Da and the people of Assam," Modi asserted.
He said the BJP government's aim is to make Assam as powerful as it was during the Ahom dynasty centuries ago.
"Industrialisation and connectivity are fulfilling Assam's dreams. The double-engine government of the BJP is empowering youth to see new dreams," he added.
Continuing its tirade against the Congress, Modi said even when a semiconductor unit was set up in the state, the opposition party went against it.
"It was the opposition government that for decades denied land rights to the tea community brothers and sisters, whereas the BJP government has given them land rights and a dignified life," he added.
Expressing satisfaction at the presence of a huge number of women at the rally, Modi said: "When my mothers and sisters come in such large numbers, it gives me a special feeling. Many sisters have come with tea gardens' flavour and tea's flavour creates a special feeling inside me."
He also informed the crowd that when Russian President Vladimir Putin visited India recently, Assam's black tea was gifted to the VIP.
"We facilitated the opening of Jan Dhan accounts for 7.5 lakh tea garden workers in Assam. Funds can now be transferred directly to their accounts, ensuring greater transparency and efficiency. The BJP government is also working to improve basic amenities in tea garden regions," the PM said.
Stating that India cannot develop without Northeast's progress, he said everyone is lauding Assam's development momentum nowadays.
"The benefits of development have reached the poor in far-flung areas of the country. Due to our relentless efforts, 25 crore people have been taken out of poverty and a neo-middle class has been created in India," Modi asserted.
The PM pointed out that fresh data has come which symbolises the changes taking place in the country.
"Earlier, among the poorest families in villages, only one in 10 had a bike. Now, nearly half the families in villages own a bike or a car. Mobile phones have reached almost every household and items like refrigerators, once considered a luxury, have now become common and found a place even in village kitchens," he said.
Modi said that the role of eastern and Northeastern India is continuously increasing, and the entire region will become the growth engine of the nation’s development.
"Namrup plant is a significant contribution of the Northeast to the country's fertiliser needs. Projects like this demonstrate that in the coming time, the region will emerge as a major centre of self-reliant India and will remain as Ashtalakshmi in true sense," Modi said.
