India cannot be run by three people, opposition will unite in six months to a year: Rahul

New Delhi, Jun 11 (PTI) The country has become slave to a handful of BJP-RSS leaders but the entire opposition will unite in six months to a year to make them realise that India will be run by its people and not just three persons, Congress party president Rahul Gandhi said today

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president Amit Shah and Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat will soon see the strength of India, Gandhi said, while addressing an Other Backward Class (OBC) convention, aimed at wooing the community that comprises over half the country’s population

“Today, our nation has become slave to two-three leaders of the BJP and the RSS. The entire opposition is getting together in six months to a year and Narendra Modi, Amit Shah and Mohan Bhagwat will see the strength of India,” he said at the event organised by the party’s OBC cell at the Talkatora Stadium here

“They will understand that India cannot be run by only three people. India will be run by people of the country,” he said, drawing applause from the crowd

He alleged that everyone, including MPs in the BJP, were afraid to speak out as they were not allowed to speak. “Only the RSS is heard,” he said

The Congress party recognises the strength of the backward classes and wants to empower them by bringing them forward in politics, Gandhi said, in a bid to win over the community of Other Backward Classes ahead of the Lok Sabha elections next year

Promising to give “space” to the community, he said, “… the Congress party will bring you in Vidhan Sabhas (assemblies), Lok Sabha (lower house) and Rajya Sabha (upper house). We wish to empower you. We will not put you in a bus with a ‘do not disturb’ board, but will hand over the keys of the bus to you.”

Taking a swipe at the prime minister, he said there was no dearth of skills in the country and those from the backward classes are endowed with skills but not given an opportunity to move forward

“People who really work are confined to the back room, but the profit of their labour is enjoyed by others. India’s prime minister says there is dearth of skills in the country. This is not true. There is no dearth of skills in the OBC community, as they are endowed with skills,” he said

For 70 years, the Congress party had stood by the OBC community and it would continue to strive for its rights, Gandhi added

Attacking the BJP, he said the party had adopted a strategy to help only 15-20 rich capitalists, who will spend thousands of crores to market the prime minister. In turn, the PM will run the government for them and all benefits will go to them, the Congress president added

The Congress chief asked why banks were not open to farmers and small businesses as there were enough skills amongst those in the OBC community, unable to make it big in the absence of capital

Gandhi alleged that the Modi government had ignored the interests of farmers but helped a small group of industrialists by waiving loans amounting to nearly INR 2.5 lakh crore

“People with skills are not rewarded in India … farmers work hard but you don’t see them in the office of Modi-ji,” he said

The Congress president claimed that non-performing assets of banks had gone up to INR 10 lakh crore

“Rs 2.5 lakh crore were given to 15 industrialists. But the farmer got nothing…the loan waiver was for 15 people but not for the farmer who continues to commit suicide… his children keep crying,” Gandhi said.