Congress Begins Poll Bugle At Nagpur; Rahul Says Will Implement Caste Census After Coming To Power

On its 139th foundation day, the Indian National Congress (INC) kicked off its mega-poll campaign for the 2024 general election at Nagpur in Maharashtra. All eyes are now on Nagpur, the strategically chosen region for the beginning of the Congress election trumpet, which is eagerly witnessing the words of senior Congress leaders such as Rahul Gandhi, Mallikarjun Kharge, Congress chief ministers and other leaders.

Addressing the event, Rahul Gandhi accused the BJP of not entertaining discussion and imposing its decision on others. He told an incident inside the Lok Sabha that an MP from the BJP met him in Lok Sabha saying that he was not feeling good in the BJP. Rahul Gandhi further said he then said: “Slavery continues in BJP. Whatever is said from above, has to be done without giving thought.”

Rahul Gandhi further said that by ending the slavery of the British and the kings, the congress gave everyone equal rights by crafting a constitution.

In his speech, Rahul Gandhi attacked the BJP for destroying the educational intuitions by appointing vice chancellors without considering merit: “Today all the Vice Chancellors belong to one organization and do not know anything,” he said.

Noting the under representation of Dalits and other backward classes, Rahul Gandhi assured that the party will undertake a caste census after coming to power at the Centre.

Speaking at the massive rally, congress president Mallikarjun Kharge reminded the people that Nagpur has witnessed the works of Mahatma Gandhi and Ambedkar for the country. “Nagpur is the land of revolutionaries and Ambedkar united millions of people with one ideology in this land,” he said. He further said that in Nagpur, there are two ideologies; one is the ideology of Congress and the other is the ideology of RSS which is ruining the country.

Reinforcing the legacy and the “glorious history” of the Congress party, he appealed to the party workers to send old photographs and other historical documents to preserve it in the Congress.

Calling the members of RSS-BJP “cowards” and reminding the people that these people (BJP) worked with Britishers and wrote apologies out of fear, Kharge said: “We fought the British and drove them out of the country, so will we be afraid of Modi, BJP-RSS?

Kharge further warned people that if the BJP were not stopped, they would destroy the country and its democracy.

Talking about the parliament security breach, Kharge said that the opposition only asked who entered the Parliament, why they came, how they came and who was behind them. He then wondered if this was the reason why the MPs were suspended. “Still, we will keep fighting,” he added

In his speech at Nagpur, Kanhaiya Kumar, who joined the Congress party in 2021 said: “Nagpur will never become Sangh Bhoomi, Nagpur will always be Diksha Bhoomi and we, the Congress party will ensure that with our own blood.”

The event titled ‘Hai Taiyaar Hum’ (we are ready) sets the stage for an intense election campaign ahead of 2024 by being one of the “historic events”, according to Maharashtra Congress chief Nana Patole.

According to congress leaders, Nagpur, the headquarters of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and the place where Ambedkar chose to make his conversion to Buddhism underscored the conflicts between the principles of Ambedkar and the ideology of RSS. The congress party’s move with this mega event, marking the kickstarting of the election campaign is analyzed not just as a public meeting or show of strength, but as an ideological event to attract the support of the public in the country. Yesterday’s comment by the congress leader Shashi Tharoor, accusing the government of using religions and temples for political gain comes in this heated political atmosphere. However, the congress leadership has not yet responded to the invitation for the Ram temple event, though some congress leaders sounded their opposition to mixing religion with politics.

As the leaders of the Congress party are articulating their views and ideals at the event, the political landscape of the country is getting heated with the ideological debate.