In California, Rahul Gandhi slams BJP, RSS, Modi for assaulting idea of India

Calling Prime Minister Narendra Modi a "specimen" of a group that believes it knows it all, even more than God, without understanding anything, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has said that the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS)-Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) combined is attacking the Indian way of life, the idea of India and the Indian constitution.

He also said that India today was not a fair place for Dalits, tribals, minorities, and the poor.

Speaking to members of the Indian diaspora in California hours after his arrival for a six-day visit to the United States (US), Gandhi alleged that the government did everything possible to stop his Bharat Jodo Yatra.

He reiterated his support for a caste census with the objective of doing an "x-ray" of India to understand its demographics and "distribute power and wealth" more effectively. And while agreeing with a comment that Indian Muslims were most directly at the receiving end of hatred and aggression, the Congress leader claimed that all minorities and the poor today in India were under attack.

Even as Gandhi said he needed to understand the details of a possible delimitation exercise better before commenting, he cautioned against any "flippant" change in the representational structure and called for a fair process of negotiations.

He claimed the issue of sceptre or the prime minister lying down in Parliament — in a reference to Narendra Modi carrying the Sengol and prostrating during prayers during the new building's inauguration — were distractions from real issues of unemployment and price rise that the BJP didn't want to discuss.

In his opening remarks at the event, Gandhi said that Indian tradition and its political and spiritual leaders emphasised that it was important not to be under the impression that one knew everything.

"The world is too big and complicated for any person to know everything. That is the disease…There is a group of people in India who are absolutely convinced they know everything. They think they know more than God. They can sit with God and explain to him what's going on. Our PM is one such specimen. If you sat Modiji with God, he will explain to God how the universe works and God will get confused about what have I created."

Gandhi suggested that this group will explain science to scientists, history to historians, warfare to the army, and flying to the air force. "At the heart of it is mediocrity. They actually don't understand anything. Because you can't understand till you listen."

Gandhi arrived in San Francisco on Tuesday morning and was received by Indian Overseas Congress chief Sam Pitroda, who, along with Congress data analytics cell chief Praveen Chakravarty, is coordinating Gandhi's visit to the US.

Gandhi is scheduled to speak at Stanford University on the theme of a new global equilibrium on Wednesday. On 1 June, he will head to Washington DC where he will speak at the National Press Club, interact with think tanks at a closed-door Hudson Institute event, engage in meetings on Capitol Hill, and attend a private dinner hosted by prominent Indian-American diaspora figure Frank Islam.

On 3 and 4 June, Gandhi will be in New York where he will meet intellectuals and academics, artists and cultural figures and address the diaspora at a public meeting. His visit just comes weeks before Modi heads to the US for a state visit at President Joe Biden's invitation.