Congress national president Rahul Gandhi made a splash at the launch of Congress party’s newspaper on Monday morning by coming out with blazing guns against the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led Government at the Centre for destroying institutions of democracy — judiciary included, and ignoring the growing unrest among the farmers and the youth, while asserting that “BJP knows it will lose the 2019 election”.
Rahul Gandhi, with former Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh by his side, lashed out at the BJP and RSS, for destroying all institutions, including the media, while declaring that all opposition parties stand united to fight and safeguard these institutions.
“We will show the BJP its place and defeat it in elections. In 2019, we will ensure that the BJP is removed from the government in Delhi,” he said.
“All institutions are under attack. Supreme Court judges openly saying that they are not being allowed to work...Only recently, Army chief said that Prime Minister Modi is considering army as its personal asset and using it politically. The Election Commission is being suppressed...BJP Ministers are being pressurised, threatened...all opposition parties and Congress are standing against them,” he said.
Saying that the Congress is fighting to save these institutions, Rahul insisted that we have to go a step further to resolve the problems of unemployment and farmers’ unrest.
“Our Prime Minister considers farmers a liability and believed that ‘Make in India’ would be enough. He must know that no country could progress without farmers, without the food security these that farmers provide to the nation,” he said.
Accusing the Prime Minister of being bereft of the real issues like that of farmers and unemployment, Rahul said that a wave of “anger” is gripping the country, and the BJP and RSS people are using it for their own interest. “We must understand that the foundation of this anger lies in the unemployment,” he said.
Citing China's example, Rahul said that it was providing about 50,000 jobs in 24 hours, and in comparison, India could provide just 450 jobs which is actually “not working”.
Taking a dig at Modi, Rahul said: “Our Prime Minister believes that the ‘elephant’ was sleeping and no progress was done by the country before he came to power. This ideology is responsible for the nationwide anger.”
Repeatedly saying that the Congress party is not like the RSS and BJP, Rahul said that they would find new ways to work and devise strategy consistent with the 21st century. “We will listen to the people’s voice,” he said.
“We are not the BJP or RSS. If we err, we are open to learning from the criticism. Today, media is being pressurised, and suppressed in the country,” he said, while making it clear that the “Congress’ newspaper” Navjivan has all freedom to criticise and speak against its own leaders. “This paper should tell the Congress party about what people want and they think,” said Rahul while asking the party leaders present to also support the newspaper and use it as their weapon while at the same time, remain open to criticism.
‘MEDIA SAYS WHAT POWERFULS WANT TO LISTEN’
Mincing no words to say that media is being suppressed and pressurised by the ruling party, Rahul Gandhi said that the media these days are reporting what the powerful and the influential want to listen.
“Press can be a tiger...it can show the mirror to even the mightiest. But if the government begins to have leverage on newspaper houses, the same tiger becomes a paper tiger. It loses its voice,” said Rahul.
He said that the media has become a trumpet of influential people as the front pages are filled with stories regarding marriages, cricket besides Bollywood, “but there was nothing about farmers’ condition, corruption... Media says what the powerful want to listen,” he said while adding that the media, including the party’s newspaper Navjivan, should be independent, speak its heart out “even if Congress does not like it”.
Rahul asserted that with the results of the recently concluded polls in five states, the people would give the BJP Government the message, “and tell what the real issues are even if these are not highlighted by the media”.