Rahul launches poll campaign in Kerala, slams CPI-M, BJP-RSS

Kick-starting his party's election campaign in Kerala, Congress chief Rahul Gandhi Thursday made a scathing attack on the ruling CPI(M) in the State and the BJP-RSS for the violence being unleashed by them.

"BJP and CPI(M) use violence which is the weapon of the weak," Gandhi said as he hit out at the two parties at a massive election rally here this evening.

Gandhi also referred to the Rafale deal to attack Prime Minister Narendra Modi and reiterated his promise that a Minimum Guarantee Income would be provided to all citizens if the Congress party was voted to power.

Stating that he was happy to come to a state where people of different ideas and religions live happily together, he said an "ideological battle" was being played out in the country today.

Taking pot shots at Prime Minister Narendra Modi Gandhi said "the Prime Minister's job is not to tell the nation his Mann ki Baat but to listen to the mann ki baat of the people," he said.

The congress president said the Congress was the "voice" of the country and not just the voice of one person or a community. It was the voice of all the people, he said.

"Congress does not want to impose anything on India. We do not want to impose any idea on this country.

The Congress party wants to listen to what the people have to say and act accordingly. That's why the doors of Congress is open to everyone," he said.

"While Congress listens to to everyone, RSS wants to tell India what to do. They have an ideology which they are convinced about and they want to tell everybody that their ideology is the truth," he said.

Comparing the people of India to the ocean, he said the BJP/RSS was like a person who talks to the ocean and wants to control the waves rather than listening to it.

Gandhi said he meets the press every week and they are free to ask him any question.

"I listen to them. And the only thing our Prime Minister does is every week he tells the country what he thinks. Like a man who gets up in the morning, stands infront of the ocean and tells the ocean what he thinks.

Week after week the man comes to ocean and tells the ocean what he thinks. And what the man does not realise is that the ocean does not care about what he thinks," he said in a jibe at the PM.

"Modi wants to have two Indias. One for the 15-20 friends of his and the other for the rest of the people," Gandhi said.

The congress president said his party would bring out a minimum income guarantee scheme to ensure minimum income to the poor if his party was voted to power.

"If Narendra Modi can give Rs 35,000 crore to Nirav Modi, Congress party can give crores and crores to the poor people of India," Gandhi said.

He said the Congress party was going to invest much money in the health and education sector.

"We want education for all," he said.

Praising women, the congress chief described them as the backbone of the country and added that his party would pass the women's reservation bill once they came back to power.

Gandhi also lashed out at Modi for his silence on the rape allegation against a BJP MLA in Uttar Pradesh.

He alleged that the Modi government destroyed the banking system and said he would open the banking system to crores of younsters.

Attacking the ruling CPI(M) in Kerala, he said the left party thinks they can remain in power through violence and referred to the killing of two youth congress activists last month.

"No Way. I want to tell you that Kerala is land of justice. These two people (Kripesh and Sarath Lal) will get justice. Those who did it to them would face justice," he said, adding their ideology was "deformed."