Dehradun (Uttarakhand) [India], May 12 : Congress leader Harish Rawat on Monday launched a sharp attack on the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party, alleging that it suffers from a "phobia" of Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi and is attempting to undermine him through "all possible means."
Citing the strategy of "Sama, Dama, Danda, Bheda," Rawat claimed that efforts are being made to tarnish Rahul Gandhi's image by misusing propaganda tools and even constitutional institutions. He asserted that despite such attempts, Rahul Gandhi continues to emerge as a "fighting opposition leader" representing marginalised and struggling sections of society.
Speaking to ANI, Rawat said, "The BJP and Modi ji have had a phobia of Rahul Gandhi ji. And that's why they want to contain Rahul Gandhi by using any means necessary, right or wrong: "Sama, Dama, Danda, Bheda" (persuasion, price, punishment, and division). They want to misuse the entire propaganda machinery; they even want to use constitutional institutions so that Rahul Gandhi ji's image can be tarnished. But Rahul ji's image has become that of a fighting opposition leader. They cannot harm that image in any way."
Rawat further said that neither in power nor in opposition can Rahul Gandhi's political influence be diminished, adding that he would continue to remain the voice of the people facing injustice and hardships.
"Whether he is in power or not, Rahul Gandhi will remain the leader of the common struggling people, those who are struggling for their lives, who want to move forward, who want to progress, the people who are victims of atrocities and injustice, victims of excesses, who are raising their voice against it. He will remain the leader of all those people," said Rawat.
On PM's appeal to reduce diesel and petrol consumption, travel by metro, use less cooking oil, and avoid purchasing gold for one year, Rawat said, "I was surprised that the Prime Minister took so long to make this appeal. This appeal should have been made by him before the assembly elections. All these things had started building up since then. All this was clearly visible. The Prime Minister has every right to make an appeal, and wherever there is meaningful cooperation in his appeal, Congress will definitely provide meaningful cooperation. The nation comes first, and the people of the nation come first."
PM Modi, who was speaking at an event in Vadodra, referred to the global energy supply disruptions caused by West Asia conflict.
"The country desperately needs power of public participation, as a very large portion of India's imports constitutes crude oil sourced from regions today embroiled in conflict, creating dual crises of scarcity and price escalation," he added.
Prescribing collective action through small individual pledges while detailing petrol-diesel reduction strategies, the Prime Minister advocated for public transport prioritization alongside car-pooling initiatives.
"Wherever possible, reduce consumption of petrol and diesel by using metro, electric buses, and public transport more; both government and private offices must prioritize virtual meetings and work-from-home arrangements to significantly reduce unnecessary fuel consumption," he said.
The Prime Minister appealed for reduced cooking oil consumption which also has health benefits and called for postponing gold purchases during crisis periods.