"We will keep Modi, Shah awake till they resign": Rahul Gandhi

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi vowed that the opposition is now 'unstoppable' and will keep PM Modi and Amit Shah 'awake' until they resign. He criticized the government's foreign policy, its handling of the China border issue, and NEET protests.

Opposition is 'Unstoppable'

Noting that the Congress and other opposition parties have now started "expressing themselves and it is unstoppable now", Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Thursday hit out at the BJP-led government, saying the opposition parties will keep Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah "awake" till they step down and "the battle is for the country's ethos and culture".

Addressing the Ratchnatmak Congress National Convention here, Rahul Gandhi said also slammed the government over Pakistan's mediatory role in the West Asia crisis and said India could have "stepped in" as it is friends with the countries involved. He alleged that BJP's "political philosophy is to impose an order on India that benefits them and certain other people".

Rahul Gandhi, who is Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha, indicated that opposition has got its act together against the government and PM Modi and Amit Shah will not be "able to sleep" till they resign from their posts.

"The Congress party and the entire opposition have now started expressing themselves. It is unstoppable now. It's a case of "Thank you, Tata, goodbye." Mark my words--until the day Narendra Modi resigns and Amit Shah steps down, neither of them will be able to sleep. We will keep them awake--keep them up all night--until they finally collapse and admit, "This is beyond us; forgive us, let us go." And we are fighting this battle for our country's ethos and culture without hatred, without violence. Ours is not a country of hate; it is a country of affection, love, brotherhood, and non-violence. We will prove this to everyone," he said.

Criticism of Foreign Policy

Rahul Gandhi accused the government of "wrecking" India's foreign policy.

"War broke out in Iran. For India--had it recognized its own strength and had its leader been someone like Indira Gandhi--this presented the greatest opportunity in the world. What kind of opportunity? Iran was our old friend, America was our friend, and Russia was our friend. We could have stepped up, become relevant, and leveraged these friendships. But what actually happened? Nothing of the sort. Instead, Pakistan stepped in and took our place; Pakistan became the mediator, while India and Modi-ji simply looked on," he said

Allegations on China Border Issue

Rahul Gandhi claimed he receives "information directly from Modi ji's office these days; there is a full-blown revolt going on inside". He also referred to certain claims in videos on social media about China's actions concerning patrolling along the LAC in a border area of Arunachal Pradesh.

The Congress leader claimed that government exerts pressure not to get such reports published.

"In our patrolling areas--specifically in Arunachal--China blocked us from patrolling. They essentially said, 'Look, all that is fine--it is indeed your land--but you cannot patrol here.' Rajnath Singh, Amit Shah, and Narendra Modi have been completely deflated. They are calling up all the media editors, telling them, 'Don't publish this in your newspapers; suppress the story.' They are causing direct harm to the country without a second thought," he said.

"After the Galwan incident, the Prime Minister held a meeting--a Zoom call. He stated that China hadn't taken a single inch of Indian territory. The Army said that our land had been taken. Just think about the message sent to China: Chinese negotiators asked our negotiators, 'What nonsense are you talking about? Your own Prime Minister said no land was lost.' So, internally, they have destroyed the country; they have wrecked our foreign policy. And they did all of this solely to finance their political structure, to secure funds from Adaniji," he alleged.

'Our Job is to Make India Express Itself'

The Congress leader hit out at the Modi government over its handling of Jantar Mantar protest over NEET-UG paper leak and alleged that BJP's "political philosophy is to impose an order on India that benefits them and certain other people" and "our job is to make India express itself".

Rahul Gandhi, who spoke in an interactive manner, said the Congress would seek to "break the order" sought to be imposed by the BJP.

"What was happening at Jantar Mantar is that students want to express themselves. They are in pain, and they want to express themselves, and the government says no. We are going to create order at Jantar Mantar. You cannot express yourselves," he said.

Gandhi, who is Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha, also recalled his interaction with the family of a rape victim, drawing parallels with the protest situation.

"Today, a lady came to me whose daughter was raped and killed in Uttarakhand four years ago. She's crying, she's trying to express herself, and the system says, sorry, we're not going to allow you to express yourself because it will create disorder if you express yourself. So their job and their political philosophy is to impose an order on India, an order that benefits them and certain other people. And our job is to make India express itself and break that order," the Congress leader added.

The CJP-led protest at Jantar Mantar ended after resignation of Dharmendra Pradhan as Education Minister. Opposition parties in Parliament demanded a statement from Home Minister on "police action" against the protestors.

RSS has 'No Understanding of India'

The Congress leader accused RSS of not having understanding of contemporary India.

"I can understand if you are fighting the British Empire and suddenly you say, I'm feeling a bit scared. But you're fighting a bunch of jokers. How can you feel scared? You're literally fighting a bunch of jokers, clowns who have no idea about our philosophy, no idea about our history. I can naturally say this about my friends in the RSS. It's obvious to me," he said.

"In fact, it's obvious to most people that these people have no understanding of India. Why? Because somebody who cannot connect with India as it is today cannot understand India. To understand India, you can't understand India 3,000 years ago. You have to understand it today, right now. And to understand it today, the only way to understand it today is to understand its expression," he added. (ANI)

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Asianet Newsable English staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)