Students in severe pain, don’t need PM Modi's forgiveness: Rahul Gandhi

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday, 4 July, said the students of the country are in "severe pain" and don't need Prime Minister Narendra Modi's forgiveness. What they want is his apology for his government's actions against them.

Speaking at the launch of a book by former MP Vaiko, the Leader of the Opposition said that the students have taken to the streets because of the RSS’s attempts to rewrite the country’s history, adding that “India will not tolerate its history to be trampled upon by anybody”.

Gandhi said every state has the right to be treated fairly and express its own culture and language, but the “RSS wants that only the history subscribed by it should be followed and that is why the fight”.

"We are going through strange times as the students are on the streets and are in severe pain. They don't have work and are asking for fairness in exams and an education system that works. On the other hand, the prime minister is forgiving them. Who is he to forgive me or them, I don't know. Where does he get this idea that he can forgive me or the future of India, I don't know," he said at the event.

Gandhi said that in the Constitution, it is clearly written that India, that is Bharat, is a union of states and the state is an expression of the people of India.

"When you say Tamil Nadu, inside is the history of Tamil people, their pain, suffering, happiness. The Constitution says every state represents one history, tradition, language. Every single state has the right to that, which must be treated fairly. Every state has the right to express itself, its own culture and language.

"Here are some ignorant people who don't understand Tamil, Marathi, Bengali people and say none of these histories and imaginations are relevant. The only history that is important is the one ascribed by the RSS. This is why this fight is important. India will not tolerate its history being trampled by anybody," Gandhi said.

Among those present at the book launch included Tamil Nadu education minister A. Rajmohan, TMC leaders Sagarika Ghosh, Congress leaders P. Chidambaram and Manickam Tagore, besides former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Farooq Abdullah, and others. 

(With agency inputs)