Rahul: Only Congress Can Beat BJP, RSS

New Delhi: Congress leader and Leader of Opposition in Parliament Rahul Gandhi on Friday asserted that the Congress remains the only party capable of defeating the BJP and the RSS, following electoral setbacks for key I.N.D.I.A. bloc allies in West Bengal and Tamil Nadu.

Addressing a rally in Gurugram, he said, “ Write it down, no other party can defeat the BJP. Only the Congress can defeat the BJP and Narendra Modi and we will defeat them.”

Gandhi described the contest as an ideological battle, contrasting what he termed the Congress’s principles of “Mohabbat” and “Ekta” with the BJP-RSS’s “Nafrat” and “Batwara”.

“This is an ideological battle. We will not forget it, come what may. There are only two ideologies: one is of RSS's hatred and division, and the other represented by the Congress, of love and unity.”

In remarks seen as directed at Opposition parties, he said, “No other party would be able to stand up against the BJP-RSS combine. In the end, only the Congress will remain standing and will defeat it.”

He accused the BJP of undermining democratic institutions and manipulating elections, alleging irregularities in states including Madhya Pradesh, Haryana and Maharashtra, and claiming similar attempts in West Bengal and Assam.

“They delete lakhs of names and add lakhs of names. The Election Commission and bureaucracy are under their control,” he said.

Gandhi also alleged that the government was transferring national assets to a few industrialists and criticised its economic policies, including the Indo-US trade agreement.

“Our agriculture sector has been opened for US farmers. This will destroy Indian farmers and small industries,” he said, adding, “India got nothing from this deal.”

He further targeted Prime Minister Narendra Modi over alleged proximity to industrialist Gautam Adani and claimed he was prevented from speaking in Parliament on related issues.

“I was not allowed to speak for four hours. The moment I was about to speak on Epstein and Adani, Narendra Modi got up and left Parliament,” he said.

Gandhi said unemployment remained a major concern and accused the government of failing to address issues faced by youth, farmers and labourers.

“There is immense anger among the people. No matter how many elections you steal, ultimately the people of India decide what happens,” he said.

Referring to his Bharat Jodo Yatra from Kanyakumari to Kashmir, he said the slogan “Nafrat ke Bazar me Mohobbat ki Dukan” emerged from public sentiment.