New Delhi, Aug 20 — Leader of Opposition (LoP) in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi said on Thursday that the nation must make every person feel that they are loved, regardless of religion, caste, age or gender.
Addressing a congregation 'Hara Bhara Swaraj' organised to commemorate former Prime Minister late Rajiv Gandhi's 82nd birth anniversary here, the LoP lashed out at the BJP for targeting minorities, Dalits and tribals.
"The BJP tells Muslims, Christians and Sikhs that they don't exist. BJP tells Adivasis that their land will be taken, and if they protest, they will be shot. BJP tells Dalits that their oppression doesn't matter. This is what has been done to our country," he said.
"That needs to be reversed," Rahul Gandhi asserted, stressing that every single person should feel a sense of belonging, love and respect in the country.
The senior Congress leader maintained that the word 'Swaraj' is an Indian concept and is wrongly translated as "freedom" in English.
He said Swaraj means "ruling over oneself", adding that while one could grant freedom to another, one could not bestow Swaraj upon another.
Describing an individual's personal relationship with the world as Swaraj, Rahul Gandhi added that Mahatma Gandhi wanted every person in the country to walk this path.
He said that Gandhiji considered every living being a unique entity, with his or her own path towards the truth.
He added that Gandhiji's vision cannot exist without certain fundamental things.
"It cannot exist with an education system that is as expensive as it is. It cannot exist with a testing system that is as unfair as it is. It cannot exist with a financial system that is monopolised by two or three people. It cannot exist without a political system that reaches deep into the country. So that is really what you have to do," he said.
Addressing students and young people directly, Rahul Gandhi said their aspirations should be respected.
The LoP added, "You want to be an engineer, a cook, or a shoemaker. Good for you, be a shoemaker. You want to be an astronaut. Good for you, be that."
He said, "It is the job of the government and the country to open the doors to your imagination and make you feel and believe. The country should help you walk on that path. That is Gandhi Ji's vision for India, and that is the path of Swaraj."
Rahul Gandhi added, "Today, the ideological battle in India is this: a group of people who control the system have decided that they know the truth for everyone in this country. That's why they attack students every single day."
In contrast, the Leader of Opposition said, "If a student comes to me, I believe this: they know their truth better than I ever can. My job is to listen, to respect it, to understand it. That is the political fight we are in."