New Delhi: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi Saturday said that he considers the RSS-BJP combine as his guru (teacher) since they constantly remind him what should not be done. "I want them (BJP) to attack us aggressively, this will help Congress party understand its ideology. I consider them (BJP) as my Guru, they are showing me the way and training me on what is not to be done," he said during a press conference here.
Reacting to it, Assam's Chief Minister and BJP leader Himanta Biswa said: "Then he (Rahul Gandhi) should come to Nagpur. He is welcome there." "If he considers it (BJP) guru, then he should go to Nagpur. I want to tell him that he should not consider RSS and BJP as his guru, but the flag of 'Bharat Mata'. He is welcome to Nagpur, he should give 'guru dakshina' before the flag of 'Bharat Mata'", Sarma said.
Meanwhile, speaking about the opposition unity ahead of the 2024 General Elections, Rahul Gandhi said that every opposition leader is with Congress. However, he understands that there are some 'political compulsions' in various other political parties. "The doors of Bharat Jodo Yatra are open for everyone, we are not going to stop anyone from joining us. Akhilesh ji, Mayawati ji and others want "Mohabbat ka Hindustan"," he said.
As the Congress gears up against the 'Modi-wave', Rahul said that he has found a huge undercurrent against the BJP throughout the Yatra. However, he cautioned that the opposition has to coordinate effectively on an alternative vision to BJP.
"I think if the opposition stands effectively with a vision, what I am hearing and seeing from the ground, it will be very difficult for the BJP to win. But, the opposition has to coordinate properly and the opposition has to go to the people of India with an alternative vision. Not just go to the people. But, there is a huge undercurrent against the BJP, a massive undercurrent," he told reporters.
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"This is no longer a tactical political fight. That era is over, where one group came together and to defeat the BJP. India's institutional framework is now controlled by one ideology. They are dominating India's political space completely," he said.
"You need to have an ideology to defeat them. I have a lot of respect for the opposition. I like them a lot. But, I wish to tell them...that only the Congress can provide a central ideological framework. That is our role," he added. "But, our role is also to ensure that the opposition feels comfortable and they are respected. There has to be mutual respect... they should extend it to us, we should also reciprocate," Rahul said.
Speaking about foreign policy, Rahul Gandhi said that confused, event-based foreign policy will do the country a lot of harm. Speaking about the backlash from the opposition on his comments about Tawang, he said, "When I attack the functioning of this government, they say I am attacking the Army." The government, he said, should "own up to its mistakes and not hide behind armed forces".
Rahul also warned that China and Pakistan "might be planning something big". The incidents at Doklam and Tawang are preparation for something big, he said. Spelling out his vision, Rahul said India should emerge as a "production nation" instead of a "rent-seeking" nation. It should have an education policy that allowed children to give wings to their imagination and look beyond careers in medicine, engineering, civil services and law, he added.
The Congress MP is presently in the national capital taking an eight-day break from his Bharat Jodo Yatra. The Yatra which is considered to be acting like an image makeover for Rahul Gandhi by many commentators is all set to traverse through the states of Punjab, Uttar Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir. It started from Kanyakumari on September 7. It has already covered parts of Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Maharashtra and Haryana.
