Making a strong pitch for a “pro-poor, secular government” at the Centre, Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi today said India does not need a government that “makes Hindus fight Muslims” in an apparent dig at BJP.
Addressing an election rally, he said that since these were Lok Sabha elections, local Tamil parties, with which Congress failed to enter into a poll-pact, will not form the government at Delhi.
“You must ensure that a pro-poor, secular government comes to power at Delhi. We don’t need a government that promotes hate and anger. We don’t need a government that makes Hindus fights Muslims,” he said.
The country also did not require a government that “imposes ideas from one state on another,” he added.
Seeking to enthuse workers who are putting up with the stiff challenge as the party is facing the polls alone, Gandhi said he was happy that Congress was fighting the elections by itself as there was no need for any compromise. “I am proud to see our workers all charged up and ready to fight elections and ready to fight under Congress banner. Now we will not have to compromise,” he said.
Congress’ long-time ally DMK had walked out of the UPA coalition in March 2013, citing the emotive Sri lankan Tamils issue even as the Dravidian major had spurned the national party’s offers for a pre-poll alliance this year.
Voicing confidence that his party will put up a good show in the April 24 Lok Sabha polls, Gandhi said Congress would not confine its fight to this LS polls alone but also fight and come to power in the state in the future.
The party was last routed in the 1967 Assembly elections when DMK under its founder C N Annadurai first wrested power from the national party and has been piggybacking on either DMK or AIADMK.
Taking a dig at BJP’s Prime Ministerial nominee Narendra Modi, Gandhi said that while he talks of the Gujarat model of development, he should witness the Tamil Nadu model,indicating that the southern state fared better, a claim made by Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa.
“Tamil Nadu has not only shown India but the rest of the world what Tamil people are capable of doing. Mr Modi talks about the Gujarat model, maybe he should come here and take a look at the Tamil (Nadu) model,” he said.
