Congress leader Rahul Gandhi today claimed that the opposition alliance 'India' represents 60 percent of the country, which is more than the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
Addressing reporters in the capital Aizawl during his visit to poll-bound Mizoram to campaign for party candidates, Rahul Gandhi said the opposition alliance will defend the ‘idea of India’ by protecting its values, constitutional framework and freedom of people irrespective of religion or culture to express themselves and live in harmony. Criticizing the BJP and its ideological parent Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), Gandhi said, ‘Their vision for our country is different from ours. RSS believes that India should be ruled by a single ideology and organization, which we are opposing. We believe in decentralization whereas BJP believes that all decisions should be taken in Delhi’. He also accused the BJP of trying to capture the entire institutional structure of the country and asserted that the Congress helped lay the foundation of the country and that the grand old party has a record of defending that foundation. He said various states in the Northeast are facing attacks from BJP and RSS, threatening the foundations of your religious beliefs.
Rahul Gandhi asserted that the Congress will win all the upcoming assembly elections in Mizoram, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Telangana. Voting for the 40-member Mizoram Assembly is to be held on November 7 and counting of votes on December 3.