In his first address to NRIs outside India after taking over as Congress president, Rahul Gandhi on Monday, 8 January, accused the BJP government of dividing people on the basis of caste and religion, alleging it was converting the anger of jobless youth into hatred among communities.
Gandhi assured that he would give India a "new shining Congress party" in the next six months and urged NRIs to help fight forces of "hate and division".
Gujarat is a BJP stronghold. I would like to tell you that the BJP had a narrow escape in the Assembly polls. Our focus is to provide India with a vision. We do fight with the BJP, but our true purpose is to improve ourselves and provide you with a new Congress. If we deliver a new Congress party to you, it won’t be a big deal to beat the BJP.Rahul Gandhi
But the BJP dubbed his speech as "irresponsible", alleging that the Congress president was spreading "hatred" among Indians with his statements abroad like he did in the country.
While using Congress’ association with Gujarat MLA Jignesh Mewani to attack Gandhi, Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad told reporters:
The nation is watching who is working to break it. It is the Congress which has spread hatred in the country for the longest period.Ravi Shankar Prasad
The Congress president also said that his top three priorities for the country would be to create jobs, a good health infrastructure and an education system.
Tragically, the conversation in our country is not about jobs, healthcare, or education. Today, the only thing India talks about is what you are allowed to eat, who is allowed to protest, and what we can say or rather what we cannot say.Rahul Gandhi
Gandhi claimed that the government's failure to create jobs is resulting in "tremendous unrest" in India, and this anger is visible in the streets and is rising with each passing day.
He said the Congress has the strength to fight the BJP and claimed that it will defeat the ruling party in 2019.
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