RSS is fanatical like SIMI: Rahul

All India Congress Committee General Secretary Rahul Gandhi, who is on a three-day tour to Bhopal to organise the state youth wing, today described the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) as “fanatical”, saying it was no different from banned terror outfit SIMI and that both hold “fundamentalist” views.

“I know only that both SIMI and the RSS are fanatical and hold fundamentalist views,” he said at a press conference here.

When pointed out that the radical Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI) was a proscribed outfit, which was not the case with Nagpur-headquartered right-wing group, Gandhi said that was not important to him.

Incensed by Gandhi’s comments, RSS hit out at him saying he needed to learn more about the country before making “meaningless” statements.

“He should brush up his knowledge before making meaningless statements. He should know the difference between RSS and banned outfits and know the history of the Congress party, which has been accused of fundamentalism in the last six decades,” RSS spokesperson Ram Madhav said.

“Rahul has a long way to go in politics, He should have better knowledge of India. He should learn more before making such statements.”

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) too slammed Gandhi. “SIMI is a terrorist organisation. He (Rahul Gandhi) has made these allegations to gain political mileage. The comparison shows that he is ignorant, arrogant and it seems he has lost his mental balance. His script writers must give him some new things to talk about,” said BJP spokesperson Prakash Javadekar.

‘PM more capable than me’ Gandhi said his prime responsibilities were Youth Congress and NSUI, and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh was much more capable than him in leading India.

“We have a very capable prime minister. He is much more capable than me. He is on the job. My responsibilities are Youth Congress and NSUI and I am doing that,” he said when asked whether a youth would become the prime minister in the near future.

He added he would take at least six months to bring about a change in the existing political framework – that has a “top-down” approach. He said the change would make way for the youth (below 40) to have a say in politics, particularly within the Congress party.

“My responsibility and task is to make sure that the youth who account for seventy per cent of our population has an active role in politics. I have completed touring half of India and have received overwhelming response. It is important to set up a system and create a structure so that the youth can join politics.”