Rahul Gandhi's 'Thali, Chawal, Dal, Sabji' attack on RSS in US

Virginia:

Congress leader and Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi has taken a jibe at the Bharatiya Janata Party with a veiled reference to the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), saying the ruling party fails to understand that the country is for all while for them, whose headquarters are in Nagpur, only one ideology is important.

Speaking at an event in Herndon, Virginia, the Congress leader referred to the different dishes on a plate of food to highlight India's diversity. The Congress leader reiterated that India is a “union of states,” adding that it means a union of different traditions and histories.

“In India, everything works together… if someone sits in front of a thali and says that chawal (rice) is more important than dal (pulses) and sabji (vegetable) is the least important, what will happen? That is what the BJP is doing,” Rahul Gandhi said.

“The BJP does not understand that this country belongs to everyone… India is a union. It is clearly written in the Constitution… India, meaning Bharat, is a union state. That means it is a union of languages, a union of traditions, a union of histories, music and dance… they (BJP) say it is not a union, it is different. Only one ideology is important and its headquarters is in Nagpur. That is what the struggle is all about,” he added.

Rahul Gandhi further stated that the RSS believes that certain states and communities are inferior to others.

“The RSS says that certain states, languages, religions and communities are inferior to others. That is what the struggle is all about. We are of the view that… you all have your history, your tradition and your language. Each one of them is as important as any other. What would you do if someone told you that you cannot speak Tamil? How would you feel? How would you react? That is the ideology of the RSS – that Tamil, Marathi, Bengali and Manipuri are all inferior languages,” he said.

The Congress leader said: “Everything will be decided at the polls, in the Lok Sabha and the Vidhan Sabha. But the fight is about what kind of India are we going to have. Are we going to have an India where people are allowed to believe whatever they want?… Or are we going to have an India where only a few people can decide what is going to happen?”

Rahul Gandhi is on a three-day visit to the US. In his speech in Dallas, he called the Indian diaspora in the US a “vital bridge” between two nations and said that Dallas has been a “fantastic start” to his visit to the US.

Gandhi, who arrived in Dallas on Sunday, interacted with students and faculty at the University of Texas. He also addressed members of the Indian diaspora in Dallas. He also visited Washington DC.