Congress' OBC, Dalit slip-ups helped RSS, says Rahul Gandhi

New Delhi: Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Thursday said the Congress party had "failed to maintain the confidence" of Dalits, backward communities, extreme backward communities and minorities, and because of that lapse on the part of Congress, "RSS came to power". He also said that Congress needs an "internal revolution" to regain that confidence.

While speaking at a gathering of members of the Dalit and other socially backward communities here amid the Delhi election campaigning, Gandhi held forth on his pet theme of how the socially backward and neglected never got, barring some symbolic representation, the proportionate "control" in the political system and in the institutional framework during the BJP regime.

Gandhi then chose to turn the mirror onto the Congress itself. "As a 'sipahi' of the Congress, I am also saying this: During the past 10-15 years (incidentally, a period during which Sonia Gandhi and Rahul mostly led the party), the Congress did not do what it should have done. I will be lying if I don't tell you this. I don't like lying. It is a reality that had the Congress maintained the confidence of Daits, backwards, extreme backwards, RSS would have never come to power. I can say during Indira Gandhi Ji's time, full confidence was maintained as the Dalits, minorities, backwards and extreme backwards knew then that Indira Gandhiji would fight and even die for them".