Rahul Gandhi: Savarkar and Modi’s habit of compromise is nothing new

The Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, said on Friday, 13 March, that if former Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru were alive today, Kanshi Ram would have been the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh. Speaking at a ‘Samajik Parivartan Diwas’ event at the Indira Gandhi Pratishthan in Lucknow ahead of Kanshi Ram’s birth anniversary, Rahul Gandhi praised the BSP leader for dedicating his life to equality and social justice for marginalized communities.

Launching a sharp critique at the Union government, Rahul Gandhi alleged that power and resources in India are monopolised by a privileged few. He urged the public to look at the representation of Dalits, Other Backward Classes (OBCs), and Adivasis in bureaucracy, the corporate sector, and top management of major companies, stating it remains extremely low. He highlighted that these communities, however, constitute the majority of MGNREGA workers.

Rahul Gandhi accused the current government of systematically curtailing opportunities for Dalits, Adivasis and OBCs, particularly in public sector employment through biased recruitment and interview processes. He reiterated that the Congress party believes in equal opportunities and fair representation for all sections of society.

The Constitution of India, he said, embodies an ideology shaped over thousands of years and reflects the teachings of Mahatma Gandhi, Dr B.R. Ambedkar, and Gautam Buddha. Rahul clarified that it does not reflect the ideologies of Veer Savarkar or Nathuram Godse, whose followers do not respect the Constitution’s spirit. He stressed the vast differences between Gandhi, Ambedkar, Kanshi Ram and Savarkar, noting that the former three never compromised their principles, while Savarkar and Modi have a history of compromise.

He further asserted that Prime Minister Narendra Modi does not believe in the ideological values enshrined in the Constitution. Unlike Baba Saheb Ambedkar and Kanshi Ram, who fought relentlessly for the rights of the marginalised, Modi, he claimed, has surrendered India’s energy security and economic interests to the United States. Highlighting trade negotiations, Rahul said Modi gave away much to the US with negligible returns, including increased tariffs. He accused Modi of handing over India’s data, opening the market extensively, and committing to purchase US goods worth ₹9 lakh crore annually.

Rahul Gandhi questioned the impact of American goods flooding India on farmers and traders, warning of adverse consequences. He emphasised that Indian society remains divided between a privileged 15 per cent minority and a marginalised 85 per cent majority, with power and resources concentrated in the hands of the few.

He pledged that Congress will continue fighting for social justice, equality, and greater participation of marginalised communities in governance. “We must engage in politics that brings change—politics that guarantees opportunities to the poor, Dalits, backward classes and Adivasis to be part of India’s power structure,” he stated.

(With agency inputs)