The ongoing general election is the first election being fought to protect the Constitution of India and safeguard the reservations guaranteed by it, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said on Sunday.
Addressing an election rally in the Nagarkurnool Lok Sabha constituency, he reiterated his allegation that the BJP wants to change the Constitution and scrap the reservation, while the Congress and INDIA bloc are trying to protect the Constitution.
"If the poor have got some rights, employment in the public sector, and reservation, it is because of this book. Before this Constitution, you had no rights," the Congress leader said while displaying a pocket-size copy of the Constitution of India.
Asserting that Dr B. R. Ambedkar and Mahatma Gandhi gave the Constitution, he alleged that BJP wants to negate their work.
Rahul Gandhi claimed that BJP wants to do away with the reservation. "They always opposed reservation. Their top leaders have been saying reservations should be scrapped. A top leader of RSS also said reservation should be removed," he said.
He also called for removing the 50 per cent cap on reservations.
"When the backwards are 50 per cent, Dalits 15 per cent, tribals 8 per cent and poor of general category 5 per cent, this 50 per cent (cap) has no meaning," he said.
Terming the BJP a party of 2-3 per cent people, Rahul Gandhi alleged that whatever Prime Minister Narendra Modi did in the last 10 years was for a few billionaires. He also found fault with the media for not highlighting the biggest issues of price rise and unemployment.
Accusing the BJP of spreading hatred, the Congress leader said the country can progress only with love. He appealed to people to elect a government of the poor, farmers, backwards, tribals, and Dalits.
Stating that backwards, tribals and Dalits have no representation in governance, institutions and big companies, he reiterated that after coming to power, Congress will do a caste survey, which would reveal the truth, and that revolutionary politics would start after the caste survey.
He promised that if voted to power, the Congress would waive farm loans and ensure minimum support prices to farmers for their produce. He reiterated the promises of a year's apprenticeship for unemployed graduates and diploma holders with an annual stipend of Rs 1 lakh under the 'Pehli Naukri pakki' scheme. A woman from every poor household will also get financial assistance of Rs 8,500 per month, he added.
Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy, Congress candidate from Nagarkurnool Mallu Ravi, and other Congress leaders were present.
(With inputs from IANS)
