BJP's 'mothership' RSS wants to control all institutions: Rahul Gandhi

Congress President Rahul Gandhi on Friday targeted the RSS, alleging that the BJP's "mothership" was trying to penetrate and control all institutions and its imprint was evident everywhere be it "North Block and the South Block" which has led to chaos in the country including the judiciary.

During an interaction with intellectuals as part of the Congress' outreach efforts ahead of Lok Sabha polls, Gandhi said unlike the BJP, his party "respects decentralisation, independence of institutions and constitutional advances".

He said that their fight was against the ideology that "one state, one ideology and one set of people should run the country" and stressed that the nation should be driven by its 1.2 billion people.

He criticised the Modi government over the issue of loan waiver to industrialists, implementation of GST and MGNREGA and Ayushman Bharat health insurance scheme.

Gandhi said he takes "constant abuse" by the RSS and BJP as a "gift" which has strengthened him as he has learnt a lot from them. He said he will recommend that Prime Minister Narendra Modi read "the Gita (holy book) a couple of times. I also recommend him to read the book 'I am That' by Swami Nisargadatta."
The Congress chief said a small businessman "should also be given similar access to banking and political system as Anil Ambani. And we centralise power. If everything is run from PMO or CMO, only 15 to 20 people close to them will benefit. Decentralisation of power can stop it."