Rahul Gandhi calls BJP-RSS a ‘bunch of jokers’

At the Rachnatmak Congress National Convention in New Delhi, Rahul Gandhi launched a sharp attack on the BJP-RSS, calling them a "bunch of jokers" with no understanding of India. He accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of reducing foreign policy to hugging leaders and claimed the RSS has become an instrument of big capital, serving industrialists like Adani and Ambani.

New Delhi: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Thursday referred to the BJP-RSS as a “bunch of jokers” who have no understanding of India and scoffed at Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s handling of foreign policy which he claimed was all about hugging leaders.

Addressing the Rachnatmak Congress National Convention here, the Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha also claimed that the RSS as an original force is dead and has now become an “instrument of large capital — Mr Adani and Mr Ambani”.

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Talking about the media toeing government’s line on various issues, he said he understands their limitations but asserted that national spirit was about not allowing a “bunch of clowns to create an order over us”.

He also said it has somehow been ingrained in Modi’s mind that foreign policy is about hugging leaders.

Gandhi then hugged Rachnatmak Congress chief Sandeep Dikshit to show what foreign policy was about for the current government.

“Imagine the ignorance….where did he get the idea that foreign policy was about hugging leaders,” he said.

Asserting that the Congress will keep up the pressure on the government, Gandhi said, “Till the day Prime Minister Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah don’t give their resignations, they will not be able to sleep, we will keep them awake…we will do it without hate, violence. We are fighting for our culture, our county is not about hate but about love, brotherhood and ‘ahimsa’.”

He said it is important to understand that the fight is between some people who want to give order to others and those who want to express themselves.

“If you look at what was happening at Jantar Mantar, the students wanted to express themselves but the government stated that ‘we want order and you cannot express yourselves’,” he said..

“So their (BJP-RSS) political philosophy is to impose an order on India which benefits them and certain other people. Our job is to make India express itself and break that order,” Gandhi said, adding that “we will drive them crazy”.

He claimed Modi is unable to sleep at night.

“There are various reasons, there are some hidden reasons. You saw Amit Shah, so-called Chanakya, Sardar Patel, where has he disappeared, he ran way, he could not enter Parliament for 20 days…because for the first time they are feeling India’s expression. They have understood that this country will not stop expressing itself,” Gandhi said.

They can create their little order of the RSS but it would be broken and thrown away, he said.

Gandhi also gave several practical demonstrations on stage and said that if he gets scared and simply follows orders then he would stop expressing.

“That is cowardice. A lot of people in India have been behaving like cowards, so many people, they have been behaving like cowards against this cowardly force. I can understand that if you are fighting the British empire, and suddenly you say that ‘I am feeling a bit scared’, but you are fighting a bunch of jokers who have no idea about our philosophy, history… they are a bunch of clowns,” Gandhi said.

“I can say this about the friends of the RSS, these people have no understanding of India. Somebody who cannot connect with India as it is today, cannot understand India. You cannot understand India 3000 years ago, you have to understand India today. To understand it today you have to understand its expression,” he said.

Gandhi claimed that the RSS had been “captured and utilised by the large capital –Mr Adani and Mr Ambani”.

The RSS ceased to express long ago as originally it was expression of the small Indian businessman — goldsmiths, ‘baniyas’, and that has died and its gone, he said.

Gandhi said through demonetisation RSS finished off their own people.

“Today, the RSS is an instrument of Mr Adani. It started during Mr. Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s time, it was started by Pramod Mahajan, and final corporatisation of the RSS was Narendra Modi. The RSS as an original force is dead, they are gone, now the RSS is now instrument of large capital. They are servants of Mr Adani, just like Mr Modi is a servant of Mr. Adani,” he claimed.

“Have you asked why Prime Minister Modi never does a press conference. I thought it was some strategy but I sat with him for five minutes in the room and knew that he cannot go before the media,” the former Congress chief said.

Gandhi also said the day there is talk of finishing RSS’s expression, he will protect them.

“We say that expression should be allowed for all,” he added.