As long as I live, will stand by every Indian: Rahul Gandhi at Delhi rally

Congress MP and Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi on Monday launched a blistering attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi and former Delhi chief minister and AAP (Aam Aadmi Party) convenor Arvind Kejriwal, saying they maintain silence on the issue of a caste census as they do not want backwards, Dalits, tribals and minorities to get their due.

Specifically targeting Kejriwal at his first public meeting for the upcoming Delhi assembly elections, Gandhi said the AAP convenor was following "Modi's strategy of propaganda and false promises" despite rising pollution, corruption and inflation in the national capital.

Gandhi also promised a caste survey in Delhi if the Congress formed the government in the national capital. "Kejriwal had said he would clean Delhi, remove corruption, and turn the national capital into Paris. What actually happened? One cannot move around thanks to pollution and inflation is rising," the Congress leader said, addressing a 'Jai Bapu, Jai Bhim, Jai Samvidhan' public meeting in Delhi's Seelampur area.

"Arvind Kejriwal had talked of removing corruption. Has he removed corruption? Just like Modi ji's propaganda of making false promises, he is following the same strategy... Pollution, corruption and inflation are on the rise in Delhi," Gandhi said.

The Congress and AAP are part of the INDIA bloc. The two parties had fought the Lok Sabha election together in Delhi, but are contesting the assembly polls separately.

Stressing that India belongs to everyone, Gandhi said the Congress does not want "an India run by a handful of crony capitalists".

"When I talk of a caste census, neither Modi nor Kejriwal says a word, because both want that backward sections, Dalits, tribals and minorities should not get their due share (bhaagidari). Ask Kejriwal whether he is with the caste census. Ask Modi ji whether he is with the caste census," Gandhi said.

"I had said to Modi ji in Parliament that whether you do it or not, we will get the caste census done and the reservation cap removed in Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha when a Congress government comes to power. We want the poorest of the poor, whether they are Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs or Christians, to dream big... head big companies," he said.

He also urged voters to support the Congress and make it victorious, asserting that the party would ensure Delhi's development like in the past under the Sheila Dikshit-led Congress government. "Neither Kejriwal nor the BJP can do what the Congress had done," Gandhi said.

He said a battle of ideology is currently on in the country. "It is written in the Constitution that India belongs to everyone. The BJP-RSS people spread hatred, make people fight," he alleged.

"We walked from Kanyakumari to Kashmir to protect the Constitution. (BR) Ambedkar's Constitution is being attacked by Narendra Modi and the people of BJP-RSS daily," he alleged. "As long I am alive, I will protect every Indian from assault — be it Hindu, Muslim, Sikh, Christian," he said.

With the rise of AAP, the Congress' stake in Delhi's political landscape has shrunk, reflected in its failure to win a single seat in the last two assembly elections.