News Analysis India

Tag: Mohabbat Ki Dukaan

  • What is happening to Muslims in India today, happened to Dalits in 1980s: Rahul Gandhi in US

    By ANI

    SAN FRANCISCO: Targeting the BJP-led government, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday said, “what is happening to Muslims in India today, happened to Dalits in the 1980s” and it has “to be fought with affection”.

    Speaking at the ‘Mohabbat Ki Dukaan’ event in San Francisco in the United States, Rahul Gandhi alleged that the impact of some actions of the BJP-led government was being felt by minorities and people from the Dalit and tribal communities.

    “It is being felt by the Muslims most directly because it is done most directly to them. But in fact, it is done to all communities. The way you (Muslims) are feeling attacked, I can guarantee Sikhs, Christians, Dalits, and tribals are feeling the same. You can’t cut hatred with hatred., but only with love and affection,” Gandhi said.

    “Also, this is a periodical thing. What is happening to Muslims in India today happened to Dalits in the 1980s. If you went to UP in the 1980s, this was happening with Dalits…We have to challenge it, fight it and do it with love and affection and not with hatred and we will do that,” he added.

    ALSO READ | ‘PM Modi thinks he knows more than God’: Rahul Gandhi in US

    The Congress leader was responding to a question concerning Muslims in India from the ‘Bay Area Muslim community’ and the steps Congress will take to tackle the issues faced by them.

    Rahul Gandhi is on a six-day visit to the United States to interact with the Indian diaspora and express the Congress party’s “commitment to democratic values in India and across the world.”

    During the event, Rahul Gandhi also spoke about “economic inequality” and said that while some people were finding it difficult to make ends meet, about “five people have lakhs of crores” rupees.

    The Congress leader talked about the caste census conducted during the Congress-led UPA government, MNREGA and the NYAY (Nyuntam Aay Yojana) proposed by the Congress.

    “When we were in power, we had carried out the caste census. The idea was to take an X-Ray of society. Because without understanding the exact demographic and who is who, it is very difficult to distribute power effectively. We have been asking the BJP to release the numbers of the caste census and they are of course not doing it. When we will come to power we will do that,” he said.

    “We are committed to making India a fair place. We understand deeply that India today in terms of its treatment of Dalits, tribals, the poor and minorities is not a fair place. And there are many things that can be done. The NYAY scheme that we proposed, MNREGA, increases education and healthcare spending, all these things can be done.”

    Attacking the Narendra Modi government, he alleged that it does not want to discuss issues of price rise, unemployment, and inequality and was trying to cause distractions.

    “I would have to look at exactly how they are planning to do it (delimitation exercise to increase the number of MPs). What criteria they are using? I would be interested to know how have they come up with the number 800. These things should not be done flippantly. India is a conversation, a negotiation between its languages, its people, their history and its culture. And the negotiation has to be fair.

    “All sections of the country should feel that there is fairness in the process of negotiation. But, these are all distractions. The real issue is price rise, unemployment, and inequality. BJP can’t really discuss them, so they have to do the old sceptre thin. Lying down and doing all that. Aren’t you happy that I am not lying down?” he asked.

    Answering another query, he said as per Constitution, the definition of India is ‘Union of States’.

    “The idea is that the history, culture, and language of each and every state has to be protected under the union. BJP-RSS is attacking that idea as well as the Constitution of India. I know that Tamil is more than just a language for the people of Tamil Nadu. And I would never allow the Tamil language to be threatened. Because for me, an attack on Tamil, Bengali, Hindi, Kannada or Punjabi is an attack on India,” he said.

    Answering a query, he said allies of Congress had objections to the Women’s Reservation Bill and the party will work for its passage when it comes to power. 

    SAN FRANCISCO: Targeting the BJP-led government, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday said, “what is happening to Muslims in India today, happened to Dalits in the 1980s” and it has “to be fought with affection”.

    Speaking at the ‘Mohabbat Ki Dukaan’ event in San Francisco in the United States, Rahul Gandhi alleged that the impact of some actions of the BJP-led government was being felt by minorities and people from the Dalit and tribal communities.

    “It is being felt by the Muslims most directly because it is done most directly to them. But in fact, it is done to all communities. The way you (Muslims) are feeling attacked, I can guarantee Sikhs, Christians, Dalits, and tribals are feeling the same. You can’t cut hatred with hatred., but only with love and affection,” Gandhi said.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-8052921-2’); });

    “Also, this is a periodical thing. What is happening to Muslims in India today happened to Dalits in the 1980s. If you went to UP in the 1980s, this was happening with Dalits…We have to challenge it, fight it and do it with love and affection and not with hatred and we will do that,” he added.

    ALSO READ | ‘PM Modi thinks he knows more than God’: Rahul Gandhi in US

    The Congress leader was responding to a question concerning Muslims in India from the ‘Bay Area Muslim community’ and the steps Congress will take to tackle the issues faced by them.

    Rahul Gandhi is on a six-day visit to the United States to interact with the Indian diaspora and express the Congress party’s “commitment to democratic values in India and across the world.”

    During the event, Rahul Gandhi also spoke about “economic inequality” and said that while some people were finding it difficult to make ends meet, about “five people have lakhs of crores” rupees.

    The Congress leader talked about the caste census conducted during the Congress-led UPA government, MNREGA and the NYAY (Nyuntam Aay Yojana) proposed by the Congress.

    “When we were in power, we had carried out the caste census. The idea was to take an X-Ray of society. Because without understanding the exact demographic and who is who, it is very difficult to distribute power effectively. We have been asking the BJP to release the numbers of the caste census and they are of course not doing it. When we will come to power we will do that,” he said.

    “We are committed to making India a fair place. We understand deeply that India today in terms of its treatment of Dalits, tribals, the poor and minorities is not a fair place. And there are many things that can be done. The NYAY scheme that we proposed, MNREGA, increases education and healthcare spending, all these things can be done.”

    Attacking the Narendra Modi government, he alleged that it does not want to discuss issues of price rise, unemployment, and inequality and was trying to cause distractions.

    “I would have to look at exactly how they are planning to do it (delimitation exercise to increase the number of MPs). What criteria they are using? I would be interested to know how have they come up with the number 800. These things should not be done flippantly. India is a conversation, a negotiation between its languages, its people, their history and its culture. And the negotiation has to be fair.

    “All sections of the country should feel that there is fairness in the process of negotiation. But, these are all distractions. The real issue is price rise, unemployment, and inequality. BJP can’t really discuss them, so they have to do the old sceptre thin. Lying down and doing all that. Aren’t you happy that I am not lying down?” he asked.

    Answering another query, he said as per Constitution, the definition of India is ‘Union of States’.

    “The idea is that the history, culture, and language of each and every state has to be protected under the union. BJP-RSS is attacking that idea as well as the Constitution of India. I know that Tamil is more than just a language for the people of Tamil Nadu. And I would never allow the Tamil language to be threatened. Because for me, an attack on Tamil, Bengali, Hindi, Kannada or Punjabi is an attack on India,” he said.

    Answering a query, he said allies of Congress had objections to the Women’s Reservation Bill and the party will work for its passage when it comes to power. 

  • ‘PM Modi thinks he knows more than God’: Rahul Gandhi in US

    By PTI

    SANTA CLARA: There are people in India who think they know more than God and Prime Minister Narendra Modi is “one such specimen”, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has said.

    Reacting sharply to Gandhi’s targeting of Prime Minister Modi, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi on Wednesday described the former Congress president as a “fake Gandhi” and as a person “who knows nothing” but has become an expert on everything.

    Speaking at the ‘Mohabbat Ki Dukaan’ event organised by Indian Overseas Congress USA in Santa Clara in the US state of California on Tuesday, Gandhi said these people are “absolutely convinced” that they know everything and can explain history to historians, science to scientists and warfare to the army.

    “The world is too big and complicated for any person to know everything. That is the disease – There is a group of people in India who are absolutely convinced they know everything. They think they know even more than God. They can sit with God and explain to him what’s going on. And of course, our prime minister is one such specimen. If you sat Modiji with God, he will explain to God how the universe works and God will get confused about what have I created,” he said, evoking peals of laughter from hundreds of his Indian American supporters.

    “They think they can explain history to historians, science to scientists and warfare to the army. But at the core of it is mediocrity. They’re not ready to listen!” he said.

    Responding to Gandhi’s speech, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Joshi claimed that the Congress leader’s knowledge of history did not go beyond his family.

    “It is funny how someone who knows nothing is suddenly an expert on everything. A man whose history knowledge does not go beyond his family is talking about history,” the senior BJP leader said in New Delhi.

    “A man who claimed to produce gold out of potatoes is giving lectures about science and a man who never ventured beyond family affairs now wants to lead India’s warfare,” Joshi said.

    “No Mr. Fake Gandhi! The core of India is its culture. Unlike you, who use foreign soil to tarnish the country, Indians are very proud of their history and can very well defend their geography,” the Parliamentary Affairs Minister said.

    ALSO READ | Khalistani supporters heckle Rahul Gandhi at an event in US 

    Gandhi’s event was attended by community members not only from Silicon Valley but also from Los Angeles and Canada, said President of Indian Overseas Congress Mohinder Singh Gilzian.

    Gandhi, 52, told the Indian Americans that the idea of India was under attack and is being challenged.

    Talking about Sengol row, Gandhi said that Modi and his government cannot address issues like unemployment, price rise, the spread of anger and hatred.

    “The new Parliament building is a distraction. The BJP can’t really discuss these issues so they have to do the sceptre thing. Lying down and doing all that. Aren’t you happy that I’m not lying down?,” Gandhi said, referring to the Sengol that was installed in the new Parliament building by Modi on Sunday.

    He applauded the Indian Americans for holding up the Indian flag in America, showing the American people what it means to be an Indian by respecting their culture and learning from them while also allowing the Americans to learn from them. “You make us all proud. When we think of our country, you are all our ambassadors. When America says Indian people are extremely intelligent. Indian people are masters of IT, Indian people are respectful. All these ideas that have come, they’ve come because of you and because of your actions and your behaviours,” he said.

    Gandhi said the poor and people from minority communities feel helpless today in India.

    “Indians do not believe in hating each other. A small group of people who control the system and the media are stoking the flames of hatred,” he said.

    “Congress’ stand on the Women’s Reservation Bill is clear. We’re committed to getting the bill passed. We have to give women their deserved space in the political system, businesses and running the country,” he said.

    A few Khalistani supporters tried to disrupt Gandhi’s speech but were taken out by the security personnel.

    Indian Overseas Congress chairperson Sam Pitroda, who accompanied Gandhi at the event, said that India needs a “young mind” like Gandhi to lead the country.

    “We need someone with an open mind. We need someone who has broader exposure, and global experience. And that’s the reason we are all here meeting and interacting with a large number of people,” he said.

    “I know that the road ahead is pretty complicated. It’s not that simple. Our idea of India is very different,” Pitroda said.

    Gandhi arrived here on Tuesday on a three-city US tour during which he will interact with the Indian diaspora and meet American lawmakers.

    Last week, Pitroda said Gandhi’s visit is aimed at promoting shared values and a vision of “real democracy.” “The purpose of his (Gandhi’s) trip is to connect, interact and begin a new conversation with various individuals, institutions and media, including the Indian diaspora that is growing in numbers in the United States and abroad to promote the shared values and vision of the real democracy with a focus on freedom, inclusion, sustainability, justice, peace and opportunities world over,” Pitroda said in a statement.

    SANTA CLARA: There are people in India who think they know more than God and Prime Minister Narendra Modi is “one such specimen”, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has said.

    Reacting sharply to Gandhi’s targeting of Prime Minister Modi, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi on Wednesday described the former Congress president as a “fake Gandhi” and as a person “who knows nothing” but has become an expert on everything.

    Speaking at the ‘Mohabbat Ki Dukaan’ event organised by Indian Overseas Congress USA in Santa Clara in the US state of California on Tuesday, Gandhi said these people are “absolutely convinced” that they know everything and can explain history to historians, science to scientists and warfare to the army.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-8052921-2′); });

    “The world is too big and complicated for any person to know everything. That is the disease – There is a group of people in India who are absolutely convinced they know everything. They think they know even more than God. They can sit with God and explain to him what’s going on. And of course, our prime minister is one such specimen. If you sat Modiji with God, he will explain to God how the universe works and God will get confused about what have I created,” he said, evoking peals of laughter from hundreds of his Indian American supporters.

    “They think they can explain history to historians, science to scientists and warfare to the army. But at the core of it is mediocrity. They’re not ready to listen!” he said.

    Responding to Gandhi’s speech, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Joshi claimed that the Congress leader’s knowledge of history did not go beyond his family.

    “It is funny how someone who knows nothing is suddenly an expert on everything. A man whose history knowledge does not go beyond his family is talking about history,” the senior BJP leader said in New Delhi.

    “A man who claimed to produce gold out of potatoes is giving lectures about science and a man who never ventured beyond family affairs now wants to lead India’s warfare,” Joshi said.

    “No Mr. Fake Gandhi! The core of India is its culture. Unlike you, who use foreign soil to tarnish the country, Indians are very proud of their history and can very well defend their geography,” the Parliamentary Affairs Minister said.

    ALSO READ | Khalistani supporters heckle Rahul Gandhi at an event in US 

    Gandhi’s event was attended by community members not only from Silicon Valley but also from Los Angeles and Canada, said President of Indian Overseas Congress Mohinder Singh Gilzian.

    Gandhi, 52, told the Indian Americans that the idea of India was under attack and is being challenged.

    Talking about Sengol row, Gandhi said that Modi and his government cannot address issues like unemployment, price rise, the spread of anger and hatred.

    “The new Parliament building is a distraction. The BJP can’t really discuss these issues so they have to do the sceptre thing. Lying down and doing all that. Aren’t you happy that I’m not lying down?,” Gandhi said, referring to the Sengol that was installed in the new Parliament building by Modi on Sunday.

    He applauded the Indian Americans for holding up the Indian flag in America, showing the American people what it means to be an Indian by respecting their culture and learning from them while also allowing the Americans to learn from them. “You make us all proud. When we think of our country, you are all our ambassadors. When America says Indian people are extremely intelligent. Indian people are masters of IT, Indian people are respectful. All these ideas that have come, they’ve come because of you and because of your actions and your behaviours,” he said.

    Gandhi said the poor and people from minority communities feel helpless today in India.

    “Indians do not believe in hating each other. A small group of people who control the system and the media are stoking the flames of hatred,” he said.

    “Congress’ stand on the Women’s Reservation Bill is clear. We’re committed to getting the bill passed. We have to give women their deserved space in the political system, businesses and running the country,” he said.

    A few Khalistani supporters tried to disrupt Gandhi’s speech but were taken out by the security personnel.

    Indian Overseas Congress chairperson Sam Pitroda, who accompanied Gandhi at the event, said that India needs a “young mind” like Gandhi to lead the country.

    “We need someone with an open mind. We need someone who has broader exposure, and global experience. And that’s the reason we are all here meeting and interacting with a large number of people,” he said.

    “I know that the road ahead is pretty complicated. It’s not that simple. Our idea of India is very different,” Pitroda said.

    Gandhi arrived here on Tuesday on a three-city US tour during which he will interact with the Indian diaspora and meet American lawmakers.

    Last week, Pitroda said Gandhi’s visit is aimed at promoting shared values and a vision of “real democracy.” “The purpose of his (Gandhi’s) trip is to connect, interact and begin a new conversation with various individuals, institutions and media, including the Indian diaspora that is growing in numbers in the United States and abroad to promote the shared values and vision of the real democracy with a focus on freedom, inclusion, sustainability, justice, peace and opportunities world over,” Pitroda said in a statement.