RSS trying to change the Constitution: Rahul Gandhi

NEW DELHI: Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi launched a frontal attack on RSS, accusing it of “betraying the freedom movement by not fighting British”. Alleging that the RSS had a track record of targeting ideological rivals only to flee when confronted, Gandhi said the real aim of the RSS-BJP combine “is to change the Constitution”. He also accused the RSS of trying to penetrate its cadre into various institutions of India, including bureaucracy, judiciary, media and even security forces.

Addressing an Opposition gathering organised by dissident JDU leader Sharad Yadav in New Delhi on Thursday, Gandhi said “until BJP assumed power, RSS never saluted the Tricolour.” Without mentioning Savarkar by name he said, “RSS’ biggest leader, as we all know, wrote a letter of apology to the British to come out of the jail. No leader of Congress or others parties that participated in the freedom struggle wrote such a letter of apology to the British.” Referring to the stone-pelting on his car during his recent visit to Gujarat, Gandhi said, “they threw the stone from behind not from the front. And when I got off the car, they ran away. That is typical of RSS. They target rivals but flee from the scene when confronted. The same will happen again”.

Gandhi said: “There are two ways of viewing the country. They say ‘this country is my country’ and we say ‘we belong to the country’… RSS says ‘this country is ours and you don’t belong in it’. It beat up Dalits in Gujarat to show that they don’t belong in the country,” he alleged.