BJP burnt Manipur, attempted to divide people across India: Rahul Gandhi during Jharkhand Assembly Elections 2024 rally

Pic/PTI

In a no-holds-barred attack on the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi on Friday accused the saffron party of "burning Manipur" and making attempts to divide people across the country on religious lines, reported news agency PTI.

The Congress leader was addressing a rally in Jharkhand ahead of the state elections which will be held in two phases: November 13 and 20.

During his address, Gandhi also alleged that the saffron party deprived 90 per cent of the nation's population of their due rights and benefits.

"The BJP burnt Manipur and attempted to divide people on religious lines. It incited Hindus, Muslims, Christians and Sikhs against each other. In recently held Haryana elections, the BJP incited Jats against non-Jats...It is the character of the BJP," Gandhi alleged, while addressing an election rally in Lohardaga.

According to PTI, the Congress leader also claimed that he undertook a 4,000-km padyatra from Kashmir to Kanyakumari to "spread the message of love and to open 'nafrat ke bazar me Mohabbat ki dukan' (to open shops of love in the market of hatred)".

"When I raise my voice for tribals and Dalits, the BJP accuses me of dividing India. I am here to unite and strengthen India. If I am wrong for raising the voice for 90 per cent of India's population, which constitutes tribals, Dalits and OBCs (Other Backward Classes), for their participation in governance, I will continue to do so," the Member of Parliament (MP) from Rae Bareli stated.

BJP waived loans of 25 capitalists: Rahul Gandhi

He alleged that the BJP waived loans of 25 capitalists worth Rs 16 lakh-crore but blamed the Congress for easing farmers' debts to the tune of Rs 72,000 crore during the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government, which was in power from 2004 to 2014.

"Did the BJP government waive any loan of Jharkhand farmers?...No because you are tribals, Dalits and OBCs. BJP will never waive your debts because it waives debts of capitalists," he alleged.

According to PTI, in another rally at Simdega, Gandhi accused the BJP of trying to snatch 'Jal, Jungle, Jameen (water, forest, land)' from the tribal community.

He also termed the Jharkhand Assembly Elections 2024 as a fight of ideology between the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) and the BJP-RSS (Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh) combine. The Congress leader alleged that the RSS-BJP's mission was to "destroy" the Constitution, while the INDIA bloc "wanted to protect" it.

"PM (Narendra) Modi calls you 'vanvasi' as the BJP believes that land, forest and water belong to the saffron party, RSS and capitalists. The BJP believes in grabbing tribal land under its newly coined word development. It wants to snatch 'Jal, Jungle, Jameen' (water, forest, land) from tribals," Gandhi alleged while addressing a rally in Jharkhand's Simdega.

He also claimed that the Constitution was under "constant attack" and the INDIA bloc was making "all efforts to protect it".

'INDIA will conduct caste census if voted to power'

Gandhi has promised to implement the caste census and remove the 50 per cent cap on the reservation, if the INDIA bloc is voted to power in Jharkhand.

"The Constitution is under constant attack and it needs to be protected. We will remove the cap of 50 per cent reservation at any cost. If we are voted to power in Jharkhand, we will raise the reservation of STs to 28 per cent from the present 26 per cent, SCs to 12 per cent from the current 10 per cent and OBCs to 27 per cent from the existing 14 per cent," he claimed.

He also asserted that a caste census is "a must to identify the participation of tribals, Dalits and OBCs" in various institutions and wealth of the country.

"When I raised the issue in Parliament, PM Modi was silent and later said that Rahul Gandhi wants to divide the country," the Congress leader claimed.

This was Gandhi's second visit to the state after the Jharkhand Assembly Elections 2024 was announced.

The polls will be held in two phases on November 13 and 20 and the counting for the Jharkhand Assembly Elections 2024 will take place on November 23.

(With PTI inputs)