The Congress on Saturday used the occasion of Dussehra to “distinguish between Ramrajya and RSS Rajya,” in a stinging commentary on the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and the NDA government at the Centre.
Accusing the RSS and Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government of subverting the vision of Mahatma Gandhi to propagate “tyranny,” the Congress insisted that it is “reclaiming the concept of Ramrajya.”
The party charged that PM Modi’s “leadership can only be described as being informed by RSS rajya, not the ideal of Ramrajya.”
“They are in the habit of reducing Lord Ram to a signifier of difference based on who worships Him, rather than adhere to the secular takeaways of his rule during what many of the faithful believe was a temporal kingship. There is a clear departure between the Modi Sarkar as a political phenomenon and his leadership can only be described as being informed by RSS rajya, not the ideal of Ramrajya,” it accused.
We are reclaiming the concept of Ramrajya as Mahatma Gandhi’s secular and democratic idea of justice. Read more: https://t.co/FpO5JhKSNU pic.twitter.com/51UZ0xBLza
— Congress (@INCIndia) September 30, 2017
It contrasted this with Mahatma Gandhi’s understanding of Lord Ram and Ramrajya, stressing that to the father of the nation, “Lord Ram embodied the triumph of good over evil and Ramrajya the happy human condition under a culture of good governance.”
“By Ramrajya, I do not mean Hindu Raj. For me Ram and Rahim are one and the same deity. I acknowledge no other God but the one God of truth and righteousness. Whether Ram of my imagination ever lived or not on this earth, the ancient ideal of Ramarajya is undoubtedly one of true democracy in which the meanest citizen could be sure of swift justice without an elaborate and costly procedure,” the commentary quoted the Mahatma as saying.
Describing the current economic situation as a “pressure cooker,” the Congress accused the Modi government of failing to tackle unemployment, arguing that “29,550 new job seekers go home disappointed everyday.”
The Congress has consistenly highlighted the issue of unemployment over the past month, especially in party vice president Rahul Gandhi’s various interactions at universities abroad.
The party blamed the government for not doing enough to stop certain elements from spreading “communal poison” and hurting “India’s diverse and cohesive social fabric.”
“The Modi establishment is giving communal forces like gaurakshaks or cow protectors free rein as they spread communal poison within India’s diverse and cohesive social fabric,” it accused.
The commentary brought another politically-charged issue to the fore – the Goods and Services Tax (GST).
“RSS Rajya’s blatant disdain for the common man has borne forth in the convoluted form even the GST has taken under Modi’s GST council,” it said.
The Congress sought to create a clear demarcation between the styles of governance adopted by the RSS and itself.
“The RSS style of governance by this interpretation is top-down and self-interested, unlike the Congress’ preference for consensual policymaking and samvaad,” it concluded.
