New Delhi: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Saturday urged his party to speak plainly about issues affecting Muslims and to strengthen their representation within party structures.
At a meeting of the Minority Department advisory council, Gandhi told members that injustices against Muslims should be raised explicitly as assaults on “Muslims”, rather than framed vaguely as harms to a “minority”. He made the same point for other groups, saying that wrongs against Dalits, OBCs or members of the general category should be identified by name.
“Rahul Gandhi’s direct message was that the Congress party should not shy away from using the word ‘Muslim’,” a leader present at the meeting said. “It has often been observed these days that instead of explicitly saying ‘Muslim,’ people tend to use the term ‘minority’.”
Gandhi also urged the Minority Department to build a platform that ensures meaningful participation for the community in party affairs.
On the subject of “vote theft”, sources said he noted that West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee, who had not earlier aligned with Congress on the issue, is now calling for a movement against it. Gandhi described the recent Assembly polls in West Bengal and Assam as not having been held in a “free and fair” manner.
Citing the country’s economic situation, he added that Prime Minister Narendra Modi lacked the capacity to manage the economy effectively over the long term, according to attendees.
(Inputs from PTI)