Congress president Rahul Gandhi said on Friday that the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) might keep talking about women’s welfare but it treated them as “second class citizens and denies them a place in the organisation”.
Mr. Gandhi said he might disagree with Prime Minister Narendra Modi but he would not be “abusive” of him because of the position he held.
The Congress chief, however, said the same could not be said of the Prime Minister as he (Mr. Modi) used offensive language against him and many others in the Opposition.
Wrapping up the German leg of his tour, Mr. Gandhi addressed an event organised by the Indian Overseas Congress in Berlin on Thursday. He said there could be conversations between political rivals but there was a line that divided the RSS-BJP and the Congress. While his party bound the people of India, the BJP-RSS divided them and spread hatred, he said.
“There is a major difference in the ideology of the Congress and the BJP. In the RSS, women are not allowed to join the organisation, women are second class citizens… They definitely talk about women but in their organisation you will not see even a single woman. But in our organisation [Congress], we treat equally both women and men and we don’t discriminate and will never discriminate,” Mr. Gandhi said. “The BJP-RSS people are spreading hatred in our own country. Our job is to bring the people together and take the country forward and we have shown how to do it,” he said.
He said his thoughts emanated from those of Guru Nanak Dev, the first Sikh Guru, and thanked the members of the Indian community in Germany, many of whom are from Punjab, for supporting the Congress.
“When we needed you, you stood with us and helped us form our government in Punjab. A friend in need is a friend indeed and you have been true friends,” he told the audience.
