New Delhi:
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Monday launched a scathing attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the party's Rajghat protest against the amended Citizenship Act, accusing him of spreading hatred and breaking the country, while warning that the people will not let him suppress the voice of "Bharat Mata" or attack the Constitution.
Gandhi said Modi's organisation had taught him how to break the country and spread hatred for years.
"You should not forget that if you stand before the voice of 'Bharat Mata', and try to suppress students, judiciary, then 'Bharat Mata will give a strong reply," he said.
The Congress leader was addressing the gathering at the "Satyagraha for Unity", a protest organised against the amended Citizenship Act and the proposed countrywide National Register of Citizens (NRC) as well as for expressing solidarity with the youth and students protesting against it.
LIVE: Shri @RahulGandhi addresses public at Rajghat #SatyagrahaForUnity https://t.co/ycdPu4nXWq
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"The people of the country, this voice of 'Bharat Mata' will not allow you to attack the country and not allow this country to be divided," he said .
He said Modi should tell the country "why he was suppressing the voice of students, why were they not getting jobs and why did he destroy the country's economy, which was its strength".
"You could not provide jobs, you could not run the economy, that is why you are hiding behind hatred and that is why you are trying to divide the country.
"Narendra Modi ji, you come out and tell the youth of the country why you could not provide employment to them, tell the small shopkeepers and industry on what you did with the country's economy. You will not be able to say anything.
"You can only do one thing - you have been taught by your organisation for years and no one is better at doing this - on how to divide India, how to spread hatred and break the country. You are number one at this," he said, adding the entire country understands this now.
The college and university students understand this that Narendra Modi only knows "how to spread hatred", he said in the all-out attack against the prime minister.
This was Rahul Gandhi's first public appearance at a party protest after his sister Priyanka Gandhi Vadra held a sit-in at India Gate last Monday. Gandhi has been away on an official tour to South Korea.
The Congress leader said the country's enemies tried their best to suppress its voice, destroy the progress of the country, "to demolish our strength - our economy- but the voice of India fought this and stopped our enemies".
"It is strange, that the work that our enemies could not do is being done by Narendra Modi that our progress is destroyed and the voice of the people silenced.
He said it is not the voice of the Congress party that was protesting at Rajghat today, but this was voice is of 'Bharat Mata'.
"Narendra Modi ji you are not fighting with the Congress party, don't be under a wrong impression. This is the voice of the country and it is standing against you," Gandhi said.
"You should not forget that if you stand before the voice of 'Bharat Mata', and try to suppress students, judiciary, then 'Bharat Mata will give a strong reply," he said.
Gandhi said the Preamble to the Constitution was read at the "Satyagraha for Unity" rally and it was the voice of the people.
"That voice fought against the British and made them flee the country and the same voice made the country's economy stand and without that voice, India cannot be," he added.
Hitting out at Modi for saying that those protesting on the streets against the CAA could be identified by their clothes, Gandhi said, "When it comes to clothes, the entire nation knows you because of your clothes. It was you who had worn the suit worth Rs two crore and not the people of the country."
The former Congress chief said thes Constitution "was made by people of every religion, by Ambedkar and the voices of Hindu, Muslim, Sikh, Christian, are in this Constitution".
"You cannot attack it as the entire country will stop you," he said.
Gandhi said the voice at the "Satyagraha" was not that of the Congress party, but of the entire country, as he thanked people for participating in the protest.
Congress chief Sonia Gandhi, former prime minister Manmohan Singh, A K Antony, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, Ahmed Patel, Ghulam Nabi Azad, Mallikarjun Kharge, Anand Sharma, Ashok Gehlot and Kamal Nath were among senior Congress leaders who participated in the demonstration.
