'Will make them pay a price': Rahul Gandhi targets BJP over India vs Bharat row

Taking an apparent dig at the central government amid the India vs Bharat debate, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Sunday said that people “attacking the soul of India" should be "made to pay a significant price”.

“People who are trying to change the name of the country are basically trying to deny history. We will have to make examples of people, we’ll have to make sure that the people who have done what they have done, pay a significant price. So that anyone trying to attack the soul of India understands that they will also have to pay a price for their actions,” Rahul said while speaking at Sciences PO University in Paris, France.

He opined that though it is okay to call the country either India or Bharat, it is the intention behind the change that matters more. The Opposition alliance INDIA bloc’s name has triggered the central government into pressing ‘Bharat’ as the name of the country, he claimed.

“The Indian Constitution uses both names (India and Bharat). Both words are perfectly fine. But we have perhaps irritated the (central) government with our coalition name. Our coalition name is INDIA. And that’s why they decided to change the name of the country,” he said.

SUPPRESSION OF MINORITIES IN INDIA 'SHAMEFUL'

Accusing the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) led central government and the right wing organisation Rashtriya Swayamseva Sangh (RSS) of suppressing the minorities in India, Gandhi said he is striving to not let that happen in the country.

“BJP and RSS are trying to stunt the expression and participation from the people of the lower and backward castes. I don’t want an India where people are mistreated because they are a minority,” he said.

He said it is a “matter of shame for India” to have minorities that feel uncomfortable in their own country. “If there are 200 million people who feel uncomfortable in India, if people from the Sikh community feel so uncomfortable, women feel so uncomfortable, it is a matter of shame for us. That needs to be corrected,” he said.

'NOTHING HINDU ABOUT BJP'S IDEOLOGY'

He also criticised the BJP’s Hindutva ideology, stating that nothing that the centre-ruling party does aligns with the ideology taught by Hindu epics.

“I have read the Bhagwad Gita, the Upanishads and other Hindu scriptures. And I can say that there is nothing Hindu about what the BJP does, there is absolutely nothing,” Rahul said.

He said a learned Hindu man had taught him that one should not terrorise or harm people who are weaker than them. “But these BJP people, are not Hindu nationalists. They can do anything for power and to gain dominance. There is nothing Hindu about it,” he said.

'CHINA IS A GLOBAL THREAT'

Speaking against the backdrop of the G20 Summit in Delhi and the India-China relationship, Gandhi criticised China for being a “non-democratic” nation which has achieved majority control over the manufacturing industries on a global level.

“We all need to be worried about one problem. It is a problem for everyone – India, Europe and USA. The problem is that today, all the bulk production, manufacturing, and value addition is being done in China. The Chinese have competed against us and succeeded. They are good at producing things, but they do it with a non-democratic process,” he said.

“We also have to try and compete with them, but not without democratic and political freedom,” he added.

Further emphasising the need for careful treading when it comes to international disputes, Rahul said, “When you are dealing with a country as big as India, we need to maintain our relations with several countries. As a nation, we act on our interests. We do what suits us with regards to our interests. It becomes difficult for us to choose a side, but we do have a strong view that voice and democracy are important,” he said.