Congress is a people-oriented party: Rahul

"Why should there be one ‘chowkidar’ like they (BJP) want. We want to make you (the people) the ‘chowkidar’ of the country, he said at an election rally here.

Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi said on Wednesday that the Congress was a people-oriented party, unlike the BJP which was about one individual. File photo: S. Subramanium

Taking a swipe at the BJP, Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi said on Wednesday that the Congress was a people-oriented party, unlike the BJP which was about one individual.

“We, unlike BJP, have never said make somebody Prime Minister who can solve all yours problems. For us, politics is all about people and they should have power in their hands,” Mr. Gandhi said at an election rally here.

“Why should there be one ‘chowkidar’ like they (BJP) want. We want to make you (the people) the ‘chowkidar’ of the country.

Hindustan ki chaabhi kisi ek haath me nahi par sabke haath me hona chahiye (The keys of the nation should not be with one person, but in the hands of all Indians),” he said.

The Congress leader, on his third visit to Assam for campaigning, attacked the BJP for trying to impose the ‘Gujarat model’ across the country.

“Assam does not need a Gujarat model. We have an Assam model here and each State must have their own model,” he said.

“In Gujarat, the poor cannot dream. It is only the rich who can dream but for the Congress, every individual has the right to dream. The poor, labourers, farmers have the right to dream of their children getting better education and employment opportunities,” he said.

He said the Opposition talked about providing security and empowerment to women, but who had stopped them from doing so.

“It is the Opposition which stalled the passage of the Women’s Reservation Bill in Parliament guaranteeing 33 per cent reservations to them,” Mr. Gandhi said.