Rahul attacks Raj for anti-north Indian campaign
Press Trust of India
Tuesday, October 21, 2008, (Sri Nagar (Uttarakhand))
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday slammed MNS Chief Raj Thackeray for his anti-north Indian campaign and accused him of indulging in divisive politics.
"What Raj Thackeray is doing is wrong. This is dividing the country," Rahul said, while interacting with the students of H N Bahuguna University in this hill state.
He was asked what was the Maharashtra government doing to prevent attacks on north Indian students who had gone there to appear in a Railway examination.
He also accused Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackeray of praticising divisive politics.
"There is nothing like north India, west India or south India. It is only India, which you should remember. Do not differentiate between west and north India," Rahul said, when asked why north Indians are being attacked in the
Congress-ruled state.
The Congress leader said if he started identifying himself as a north Indian, then "the division will only increase" and lamented that there is no end to such divisive politics.
"If you start identifying yourself as a Hindu, a Muslim or a Christian, the differences would only grow. A Bal
Thackeray would use it and someone else in some other state. There is no end to this divisive politics," he said.
To a question on why should the students join NSUI and not the BJP affiliated ABVP, Gandhi said, "they talk about dividing the country. We talk about unity. This is what Raj
Thackeray has done".
Gandhi parried a question on his priorities if he became the Prime Minister, saying it was "hypothetical". "It is hypothetical. The immediate priority is to mobilise the students and the youth and empower them," he said.