Congress too made mistakes, will need to change its politics: Rahul Gandhi
Lucknow, May 10: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Friday said his party too has made mistakes and will have to change its politics in future.
The remark came at an event in Lucknow where he accused the Narendra of being a monarch and not a prime minister, calling him a front for “two three financiers”.
Answering a question from a member of the audience at the event on the Constitution, the former Congress president said he was “100 per cent” prepared to take on Narendra Modi in a debate, but he knew that the prime minister will not agree.
"The Congress party will also have to change its politics in the coming times. This will have to be done. I also want to say that the Congress party has also made mistakes and I am saying this while being from the Congress party," he said in his speech.
However, he did not elaborate on what “change” he felt the Congress needed.
The “Samvidhan Sammelan” was organised by the Samruddha Bharat Foundation.
Gandhi claimed that the ruling BJP will be restricted to less than 180 seats in the Lok Sabha elections.
"I can give you in writing, if you want, that Narendra Modi is not going to be the PM again," he said, repeating the prediction he made at joint rallies in Uttar Pradesh earlier in the day with Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav.
"Some people in politics only think of how to get power. I was born into it and have no interest in it. But for me it's just a tool to help public," he said.
He said 90 per cent of the population in India comprises of people from the SC/ST, OBC, Dalits, tribals, minorities and the poor from the general community who are not given equal participation.
He then repeated his call for a caste-based census.
"If the nation is to be strengthened, it cannot be done without including the 90 per cent. If you say that the 90 per cent will not come into bureaucracy, sports, media, judiciary and even beauty pageants, then what superpower will you make? Do you want to make 10 per cent of the population a superpower," he said.
He accused the prime minister of attacking the Constitution. "Modi ji is a king, I am telling the truth,” Gandhi said.
“He is not the prime minister, he is a king. He has nothing to do with the Cabinet, Parliament or the Constitution. He is the king of the 21st century and is the front for two or three financiers who have the real power."
At the end of his address, Gandhi took three questions including one on a recent suggestion that he and the PM should take part in a debate.
“I am 100 per cent ready to debate with anyone, with the prime minister. But I know the prime minister will not debate with me,” he said.
He added that party president Mallikarjun Kharge could also take part in a debate.
When asked about the Old Pension Scheme not being included in the party manifesto, Gandhi said the matter is “open to consideration”.
Asked if the institutions privatised by the Modi government will be nationalised again, Gandhi said, “It will be difficult but we will not allow the blatant privatisation of big institutions.”
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Kangana Ranaut shown black flags in Himachal's Lahaul and Spiti, BJP files complaint with CEO
Shimla, May 20: Actor Kangana Ranaut, BJP candidate from the Mandi parliamentary constituency, was shown black flags by local people and Congress workers at Kaza in Lahaul and Spiti on Monday.
The Himachal Pradesh BJP filed a complaint with the state chief electoral officer (CEO) demanding transfer of election officials and an investigation into the incident as both the BJP and the Congress were given permission to hold rallies adjacent to each other.
The Congress workers raised anti-Kangana slogans - "Kangana, go back, Kangana Vangana nahi chalegi". They were apparently enraged over her remarks on Tibetan spiritual leader Dalai Lama in April last year.
Ranaut had tweeted a meme featuring the Dalai Lama that said, "The Dalai Lama receives a warm welcome at the White house". The photoshopped picture in the tweet showed the Dalai Lama sticking his tongue out with US President Joe Biden with a comment - Both of them have the same illness, definitely they could be friends.
Following this, a group of Buddhists staged a dharna outside her office in Mumbai.
Later she apologised saying she didn't mean to hurt anyone, and it was a harmless joke about Biden being friends with the Dalai Lama.
Leader of the Opposition in the Himachal Pradesh Assembly Jai Ram Thakur, who had accompanied Ranaut to Kaza to campaign for the BJP, on Monday alleged that the Congress workers tried to disturb the meeting of the BJP and pelted stones on their carcade while they were returning.
Talking to reporters, he said, "It is unfortunate that for the first time, permission was given to hold a parallel rally at the venue to the Congress where prior permission was already granted to the BJP to hold the rally.
Efforts were made to disturb our rally and the Congress workers raised shameful slogans, stopped our carcade and pelted stones, injuring one person."
Thakur added that they go for campaigning all over the state but such things have happened for the first time, which shows "frustration" of the Congress and they would take up the issue with the Election Commission.
Later, in a complaint filed with the Himachal Pradesh CEO, BJP state office secretary Parmod Kumar Thakur said the Congress workers allegedly tried to illegally restrain the political procession and even pelted stones and demanded an investigation into the incident.
"The district administration granted permission for organising a political meeting to the Congress adjacent to the place already scheduled to hold a political meeting of the BJP at Kaza under undue influence of the state government in utter violation of the Model Code of Conduct (MCC)", he said.
In the complaint, the BJP demanded the immediate transfer of election officials from Lahaul and Spiti and said giving permission to both the parties at the same location at the same time was a "big lapse" on the part of the Election Commission "in spite of the fact that permission to the BJP was provided first and the officers involved in this act are biased against the BJP, and free and fair elections are doubtful under the circumstances."
Lahaul and Spiti SP Mayank Chowdhary told PTI that workers of both the BJP and the ruling Congress came face to face but there was no clash and no person was injured. However, one worker sprained his leg, he added.
Bhishan Shashni, Congress election coordinator for Lahaul and Spiti claimed that the Congress workers were peacefully protesting but a large number of people, who were hurt by Ranaut's remarks about the Tibetan spiritual leader, joined the protest.
Earlier, Congress candidate from the Mandi Lok Sabha seat Vikramaditya Singh had asked why Ranaut did not visit Spiti and returned from Reckong Peo alleging that she was afraid she would be shown black flags for her remarks against the Dalai Lama.
