Sterlite protest: Rahul blames RSS, BJP hits back

Attacking the BJP and the RSS, Congress president Rahul Gandhi today alleged that Tamils are being brutally killed for not bowing to the Sangh philosophy and sought to put the blame for thrashing of Dalits in Gujarat on 'repressive Manuvadi thought' of the two organisations.In a tweet targetted at the BJP and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, Gandhi also attached a news report video clip of Dalits being thrashed to death in Rajkot and Una.

This soul-stirring video is a result of the Manuvadi thought. Before this disease spreads further in our country, we have to stop this. We will all together defeat this repressive thought of the BJP/RSS. It is time for change," he tweeted in Hindi. This followed another tweet in Tamil in which the Congress chief alleged that Tamils were being killed as they refused to "bow" to the RSS philosophy.

In an apparent reference to the continuing anti-copper plant violence at Tuticorin, Tamil Nadu, in which at least 10 people have been killed in police firing, Gandhi said he was with the Tamil people. "Tamils are being brutally killed because they are refusing to bow to the RSS philosophy. The bullets of RSS and Modi can never crush the spirit of the Tamil people. Tamil Brothers and sisters, we are with you!," he tweeted using the hashtag "SterliteProtest".

The Congress had yesterday also tweeted that the gunning down of people is a "brutal example of state sponsored terrorism". "These citizens were murdered for protesting against injustice," he had said. Yesterday, the Congress president had also urged students to "rise", alleging their future was at risk as the prime minister wanted to appoint officers chosen by the RSS by "manipulating" the merit list in civil service examinations.

This message came in the wake of a proposal seeking to bring in major changes in the allocation of services to candidates who clear the all-India examination. Asked to comment on this, BJP president Amit Shah had yesterday dismissed Gandhi's claim, saying he cannot help if the Congress chief sees the Hinduva organisation in everything. "Tell me where the RSS comes in this? The examination will continue as it does now, there will be no arbitrary control over who will pass it. It is about evaluating performance in training. It is anyway a suggestion and no decision has been taken? Where does the RSS come in this? He sees the RSS in everything. What I can do," Shah had said at a press conference.

BJP slams Rahul Gandhi:

The BJP today slammed Rahul Gandhi for targeting the RSS over the killing of 10 people in police firing in Tuticorin, saying the Congress chief was hiding his "failures" behind the veil of attacking the organisation. Gandhi claimed that Tamils were being killed as they refused to "bow" to the ideology of the RSS.

In an apparent reference to the anti-copper plant violence at Tuticorin yesterday in which 10 people were killed in police firing, Gandhi said he was with the Tamil people. BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra attacked Gandhi at a media briefing for drawing the RSS into the incident and said it underlined his "inexperience and immaturity", wondering what future the Congress would have with such a president. "You can inherit presidency of a party but you cannot inherit wisdom and understanding," he said, taking a dig at Gandhi.

Patra also alleged, citing media reports, that senior Congress leader P Chidambaram was a director in the company, which was at the centre of the violent protests in the southern state, and asked Gandhi to seek clarification from him. In India's federal structure, law and order is a state subject and the BJP-run central government has nothing to do with the police firing, Patra said, asking if Gandhi knew that.In a jibe, he said Gandhi so often errs by blaming the RSS for things happening across the country and the BJP would like to gift him Class VI civics book to learn about India's federal structure, Constitution and democracy.What has happened is a matter of sorrow and Gandhi is trying to milk a sad incident for political mileage, Patra alleged.

He wondered if the Congress president would also blame the RSS for anti-Sikh riots of 1984 and the Emergency imposed in 1975 by the then Indira Gandhi government. "He is not able to give a capable leadership to the Congress and believes that he can milk politically any situation to suit his political opportunism by drawing the RSS and the BJP into the battle," he said. Patra accused Gandhi of hiding his "failures" behind the veil of attacking the RSS.