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Rahul Gandhi on 'Mayawati not fighting polls' in UP, RSS and 'pursuit of power'
Speaking at a book launch, Rahul Gandhi did not miss an opportunity to attack the RSS.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Saturday continued his tirade against the BJP and the RSS as he also referred to Mayawati; the 51-year-old leader shared his account of the Congress's alliance offer to the former Uttar Pradesh chief minister, which, according to him, she did not accept.
"Mayawati ji didn't fight elections (in Uttar Pradesh). We sent her the message to form an alliance but she didn't respond. This time she didn't fight for Dalit voices because there are CBI, ED (Enforcement Directorate) and Pegasus," the former Congress chief said, while taking a dig at the centre and suggeting a misuse of probe agencies.
The Congress and Mayawati's BSP faced a massive setback in UP as the BSP managed to get just one seat while the Congress won 2 of 403 assembly seats.
Speaking at a book launch event, he did not miss an opportunity to attack the RSS. "We have to protect the Constitution. To save the Constitution, we have to protect our institutions. But all the institutions are in the hands of RSS."
Gandhi's sharp comments come a day he met former union minister Sharad Yadav who suggested that the 51-year-old should assume charge as the Congress chief. Yadav has been trying to bring the opposition parties together against the BJP.
On Saturday, Gandhi said that he was not interested in the pursuit of power.
"There're politicians who're in pursuit of power. They wake up in the morning and think how will we attain power and do this the whole day... and then sleep. The cycle repeats the next day. I was born at a power centre but I am not interested in it," he is heard saying in a video clip.
"As I sleep in the night, I try to understand the nation. It's like a lover's quest. When you love something... you try to understand it," Gandhi further says.
The BJP has often attacked the Gandhis over the crisis in Congress and its failure to revive. Earlier this week, union minister Anurag Thakur said that the Congress's troubles won't end till it doesn't look beyond the Gandhis.
Rahul Gandhi on Friday suggested: “Opposition parties that are against the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and Narendra Modi should come together. Discussions are ongoing on how they should come together, what should be the framework of it, and that has to be developed."
