Rahul launches scathing attack on BJP, RSS

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, May 28

Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday compared the RSS to the Nazis and accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of trying to run India like an RSS 'shakha' by "silencing the voices of lakhs of Indians".

In a scathing attack on the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government at the Centre, Gandhi said both the organisations were using discipline as an excuse to kill individuality.

"Have you seen an RSS shakha? Everyone stands in a straight line. If someone utters anything, he is silenced with a lathi," Gandhi said in his address at the National Students' Union of India (NSUI) convention here.

"Discipline is an excuse for them to murder individuality. They are attempting to silence the lakhs of voices in India with this excuse of discipline." Gandhi compared the RSS 'dhwaj pranam' (flag salutation) with the Nazi salute.

"I don't know how they salute with their hands, but it is similar to how they saluted in Germany. I would never do it," Gandhi said, in an obvious comparison of the RSS with the Nazis.

Attacking the BJP and the RSS, Rahul said “they have killed inner party dialogue, now want to kill India’s internal dialogue”.

Gandhi also accused Modi of failing to take care of the country's farmers.

"Modi ji in his speeches had said that he would help the poor but the fact is that he has been to France, the US, Japan, China, Nepal and even Mongolia, but is yet to visit the house of a poor farmer," said Gandhi, as the audience cheered and applauded.

Our former PM Manmohan Singh criticised the health of the economy in the morning and by evening Modi took "lessons" from him, he said.

Meanwhile, the BJP and the RSS hit back, saying Rahul's “lack of maturity is evident”. The BJP said Rahul will be forced to regret his 'silly mistakes'. (With inputs from IANS)