The 2024 election is an ideological war: Rahul

Addressing his first election rally in Tamil Nadu this season at Palayamkottai earlier in the day, Mr. Gandhi called the 2024 election an “ideological battle” between the INDIA bloc and the BJP for saving the Indian Constitution, democracy, and pluralism.

He exuded confidence that the INDIA bloc would win in this battle with the people’s overwhelming mandate.

He said the INDIA bloc was fighting for freedom and equality, while the BJPled combine and the governmnt of Prime Minister Narendra Modi were backing the ideals of the RSS.

While the INDIA bloc believed in a pluralistic nation with many different languages and cultures, the BJP was professing its theory of one nation, one language, one culture and one leader.

But, for the INDIA bloc, all are equal.

‘Attack on Tamil’

According to him, sustained attacks were being made on Tamil, Tamil culture, history and tradition and any attack on Tamil was nothing less than an attack on Tamils.

There could be no India without Tamil, Bengali, and other Indian languages, and all Indian traditions, languages, culture and history are sacred.

Mr. Rahul said ₹16 lakh crore in loans was given to 21 Indians under Mr. Modi, but he refused to waive crop loans.

He claimed only two or three large industrialists — none of them from Tamil Nadu — were being given government contracts and other benefits.

“Just because Adani was close to the Prime Minister and he was helping the Prime Minister, ports, airports, wind, solar and coal power units, and defence sector contracts were being given to Adani, even as the micro, small and medium enterprises were decimated by demonetisation and the GST,” he said.

Backs CM

Backing Chief Minister M.K. Stalin’s demand for flood relief from the Centre, Mr. Rahul said the repeated appeals were turned down.

“But they mocked at the relief given by the State government to the flood affected people as ‘pitchai’ (alms),” he said.

When Mr. Gandhi underlined the highlights of the poll manifesto of the Congress like oneyear apprenticeship with ₹1 lakh stipend for unemployed youth, annual assistance of ₹1 lakh for a woman in every poor family, minimum legally guaranteed support price for crops, doubling the salary of Asha, anganvadi workers, giving rights to States on getting waiver from nationallevel exams like NEET, 50% reservation for women in employment and education, new benefits for fishermen etc. the crowd acknowledged it with wild cheer.

Thoothukudi MP and candidate Kanimozhi said the cordial relationship between the DMK and the Congress become an eyesore for a few. “As DMK believes in inclusive, democratic and egalitarian society, we can see this in the Congress’s election manifesto. So there is nothing surprising about this relationship. The Central Government to be formed after the election will be an extension of Dravidian Model government in Tamil Nadu,” she said.