NEW DELHI: Citing Islamic State as an example, Congress President Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday stated that such terror groups are formed if people face exclusion and are not included in the development process. Attacking Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government, Rahul said excluding tribals, Dalits and minorities from the development narrative "could be a dangerous thing".
Recalling the development process in India in the last 70 years, he said: "70 years ago, we got independence and we started a journey of transition from rural India to modern India. The basic idea then was that it should not be centered around one person and everyone should be included in the process. We wanted all Indians to be included in this awakening. The transition would mean a higher risk for poor people and lower caste communities as they would need help. Pretty much all governments until the last government that came to power in 2014 - the Narendra Modi government - followed these ideas very strongly."
"It is very dangerous in the 21st century to exclude people. If you do not give people a vision in the 21st century, somebody else will. And that is the real risk of excluding a large number of people from the development process," Gandhi said.
He also linked the incidents of lynching in India to joblessness and the lack of opportunities for the poor who, he said, were not being given equal opportunities. Rahul said the incidents of lynching were a result of the anger emanating from joblessness and destruction of small businesses due to demonetisation and poorly implemented Goods and Services Tax (GST).
Reacting strongly to his speech, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) accused the Congress chief of 'belittling India' and has sought an explanation from Rahul on a range of issues he spoke about.
BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra claimed that throughout his speech Rahul presented India in a bad light. "Rahul Gandhi left no opportunity to belittle India and to present it in a bad light. We need explanations from you," Patra said.
Patra also claimed that Rahul's speech was "full of lies and deception". As Rahul said that China produced 50 jobs every 24 hours compared to 44 in India, BJP questioned the credibility of those figures asking if they were "made in 10 Janpath".
He also accused Rahul of "lying through his teeth" in accusing the Modi government of striking down a law on atrocities against Dalits and tribals. Patra said that Parliament had in fact made the legislation more stringent by passing an amendment in its latest session.
Countering Rahul's accusations, the BJP spokesperson said that the rural employment scheme (MNREGA) became a "monumental success" under the current government from a "monument to failure" it was under the UPA.
