Rahul Gandhi meets Gujarat Congress workers on Day 3 of campaign, attacks RSS, promises to work for backward classes

Nov, 13 2017 13:41:57 IST

Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi will conclude his three-day visit of Gujarat on Monday, and is scheduled to attend events in Patan and Mehsana districts in north Gujarat.

Rahul has been campaigning in the region since Saturday, after completing similar sojourns in Saurashtra (west Gujarat), central Gujarat and south Gujarat.

On Monday, he interacted with leaders of Scheduled Caste communities, and National Students’ Union of India workers. At one point, he even broke through security barricades to meet villagers in Patan district.

While talking to the Scheduled Caste leaders, he attacked the RSS and promised to work for the betterment of the backward castes.

Rahul is also scheduled to visit multiple temples on Monday, something that has already invited comments from the BJP.

‘Political tsunami’
On Day 2 of his trip, Rahul had asserted that his party will sweep Assembly elections in Gujarat, scheduled for December, saying a “tsunami is coming and the (ruling) BJP is scared of it”, and exhorted his party not to speak ill of the office of prime minister even while criticising the government.

He had said the electoral battle between BJP and Congress was a “battle of truth versus lies”, but asked his party to exercise restraint even while criticising the government’s policies and not get personal. “(Prime Minister Narendra) Modi may say anything about us, but we will not indulge in loose talk about him, and maintain the decorum of the office of prime minister.”

Gandhi was referring to party leaders who, during the election campaign termed Modi as feku (who makes baseless claims) or gappabaaz (big liar).

In the fourth leg of his three-day pitched region-wise campaigns, Gandhi had exhorted the people to demonstrate their anger through votes.

Speaking at a rally in Thara in north Gujarat’s Banaskantha district, he said, “The Congress workers have tolerated the BJP rule for 22 years and now it’s high time. Show it at the polling booths and to everyone what you feel about GST, note ban and the government taking everyone for a ride on the Narmada dam, and bring about a change.”

Gandhi, who had said on Saturday that his party was still not happy with the new GST relief and wanted it to be capped at 18 percent, asserted again that he would do his best to protest the “Gabbar Singh Tax” and that he would remind everyone how the note ban “helped thieves turn black money into white”.

Source: http://www.firstpost.com/politics/rahul-gandhi-meets-gujarat-congress-workers-on-day-3-of-campaign-attacks-rss-promises-to-work-for-backward-classes-4206981.html