Rahul Gandhi also claimed that the BJP-RSS had told Dalits, who comprise 15 per cent of the population, that they had dealt with social oppression in the past and asked why they were complaining, adding that there was nothing wrong with the caste system.
“That is what they have done to this country. That is what they have done to our ‘Bharat Mata’… and that needs to be reversed,” he said. “Every single person, regardless of religion, caste, age, or gender, must feel: I belong here. I am loved here. I am respected here. And my search for truth matters.”
The Congress MP said the word ‘Swaraj’ was often confused with the Western word ‘freedom’, as people thought ‘Swaraj’ meant freedom. Swaraj, he said, meant ‘swa’ over ‘raj’, or ‘rule over oneself’, and was a way of thinking. ‘Swaraj’ was a ‘Hindustani’ word and the two should not be mixed up, he said, adding that one could give freedom to someone, but not ‘swa-raj’.
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