With the election season in full swing, Gandhi had his audience brace for higher prices. “You will see where inflation is headed, and where the cost of petrol, diesel and gas is going,” he said, making the state of the average person’s budget the crux of his case. It was as much a political indictment of the Centre as it was a heads-up to voters.
Targets BJP, RSS and PM Modi
He put a fine point on the matter at the ‘Bahujan Swabhiman Sabha’ in his home turf, where he accused the ruling party and the RSS of chipping away at the Constitution. “I want to tell you that this Constitution has your voice and your blood in it. It is up to you to protect and save it,” he told the crowd, asking them not to be quiet in the face of it.
Gandhi also took aim at the Prime Minister. He found some irony in Modi’s recent exhortations to shun unneeded foreign trips or splurges on gold, given the PM’s own penchant for flying in planes that run into thousands of crores and his current five-nation itinerary. “That is a bit of a double standard,” the tenor of his remarks was.
Invoking reformers and local history
The gathering was in honour of Veera Pasi, a local revolutionary. Gandhi spoke of how the Constitution is the work of not just Dr Ambedkar and Mahatma, but also of reformers like Narayana Guru and Basavanna, and the words of Buddha, Guru Nanak and Kabir. But he was quick to add that empty gestures don’t mean much. “You are clapping now, but when the Constitution is being torn to shreds, you can’t just stand there,” he warned. The charter is for all of us, he said, not for any one caste or billionaire.
Economic alarm meets constitutional message
In many ways, the Raebareli address was a study in the two sides of the Congress coin: standing up for the Constitution and for people’s livelihoods. He claimed the government is at it “24 hours a day” by diluting MNREGA, skirting a caste census and piling on to industrialists like Ambani and Adani.
Here are the key claims he pressed in Raebareli:
– The Constitution is under attack and must be defended
– An economic storm is approaching, with inflation rising
– PM advises austerity but travels abroad himself
– Interests of big industrialists are prioritised
Why this matters now
"Equality and justice have to be defended, not just paid lip service to,” the Congress leader told his supporters. He left them with a straightforward message: the next generation of Veera Pasis and Ambedkars will come from the ranks of the common man, so be on guard for your rights and get ready for some hard times economically.
