Congress MP Rahul Gandhi on Monday held a roadshow in Wayanad, from where he is seeking a second term in this year’s Lok Sabha election.
In his address, Gandhi said the main fight today “was between the ideologies of the RSS and the Congress”.
“The BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi say ‘one nation, one people, one language and one leader’. It is a fundamental misunderstanding of the country,” he added, as quoted by ANI.
Gandhi said language cannot be imposed “from the top”.
“Language is something that comes from inside a person, inside the heart of a person. To tell a person from Kerala that your language is inferior to Hindi is an insult to the people of Kerala,” he said.
“This idea that India should have only one leader is an insult to every single young Indian person.”
Malayalam, Gandhi said, is not just a language, but a link to a civilization. When a child is taught Malayalam, it is not just how to speak, he added, addressing voters in Wayanad’s Sulthan Bathery.
“He (the child) is being taught the history of Kerala, the culture of Kerala, the affection and respect… that’s what he is being taught," he said, as quoted by PTI.
The main difference between the BJP and the Congress, he said, is that the former believes there is only one leader.
The Congress, Gandhi added, wants to listen to the people of the country, love and respect their beliefs, language and religion. However, the BJP wants to impose something from the top, he said.
“We did not get freedom from the British to be colonised by the ideology of the RSS. We want India to be ruled by all her people,” he said.
This was Gandhi’s second visit to Wayanad after the announcement of poll dates. Polling in Kerala's 20 Lok Sabha seats will be held on April 26.