Taking a swipe at the Modi government, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday said that the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party is "threatening" the people and "misusing" the country's agencies. Gandhi was addressing the Indian diaspora at a "Mohabbat ki Dukaan" event at the University of California, Santa Cruz during his 10-day visit to the United States.

Rahul Gandhi also said that there are people in India who think they know more than God and Prime Minister Narendra Modi is "one such specimen."

His comments sparked controversy in India with BJP leader Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi and Union Ministers Pralhad Joshi and Anurag Thakur publicly condemning Gandhi's statements.

Joshi said that Rahul is a "fake Gandhi" and a person "who knows nothing" but has become an expert on everything.

Naqvi also had qualms with Gandhi's comments, remarking that if India was not a democracy, a leader would not be able to go abroad and criticise the duly-elected government of the country.

Gandhi warned that there are a few people in India who are absolutely convinced that they know everything and think they can "explain history to historians, science to scientists and warfare to the army."

"The world is too big and complicated for any person to know everything. That is the disease…There is a group of people in India who are absolutely convinced they know everything. They think they know even more than God," Gandhi said.

However, "at the core of it is mediocrity," Gandhi said, telling the audience to ignore those voices since they are not ready to listen.

"They can sit with God and explain to him what’s going on. And of course, our prime minister is one such specimen. If you sat Modiji with God, he will explain to God how the universe works and God will get confused about what have I created,” he said, evoking peals of laughter from hundreds of his Indian American supporters.

Gandhi said that he started his Bharat Jodo Yatra because the normal tools that have historically been used in politics were not working anymore. He further alleged that the BJP and the RSS are controlling all the instruments of politics in India.

"The BJP is threatening people and misusing government agencies. The Bharat Jodo Yatra started because all the instruments that we needed to connect with the people were controlled by the BJP-RSS," Gandhi said.

He alleged that the Modi government also used all its strength to stop the yatra but nothing worked and that the "impact" of the yatra increased.

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Lauding his 146-day foot rally, Gandhi said the Bharat Jodo Yatra carried the spirit of affection, respect and humility, and compared himself to the likes of Guru Nanak, Basava and Narayana Guru.

"If one studies history, it can be seen that all spiritual leaders—including Guru Nanak Dev ji, Guru Basavanna ji, Narayana Guru ji—united the nation in a similar way," Gandhi said.

He warned the audience, consisting primarily of members of the Indian diaspora, not to trust what the media is showing them. India is not what is being shown in the media, Gandhi alleged, claiming that the perceived political narrative is far from reality and a "huge distortion".

"It was very clear to me in the Yatra that it's in the media's interest to project these things. It helps the BJP. So, don't think that everything you see in the media is the truth," he said. "India is not what the media shows. The media likes to show a particular narrative. It likes to promote a political narrative that is actually not what is going on in India."

LIVE: Shri @RahulGandhi meets and addresses Indians in San Francisco, United States. https://t.co/kqVdwBKYmD

— Congress (@INCIndia) May 31, 2023

Giving a "true" glimpse of the condition in the State, Gandhi reported that the poor and minority communities in India feel helpless today.

"Indians do not believe in hating each other. A small group of people who control the system and the media are stoking the flames of hatred," he added.

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He told the diaspora if they believed in anger, hatred and arrogance, they should sit in a BJP meeting.

When asked a question from the Bay Area Muslim Community, Gandhi said, "They way you (Muslims) are feeling attacked, I can guarantee Sikhs, Christians, Dalits, Tribals are feeling the same. What is happening to Muslims in India today happened to Dalits in 1980s."

He also reassured the Congress party's commitment to getting the Women's Reservation Bill passed. We have to give women their deserved space in the political systems, businesses and running the country, Gandhi said.

While at the event, Gandhi also thanked the Indian diaspora for holding up the Tricolour in the United States and for showing Americans what it means to be Indian.

"When Americans praise the contribution of Indians to their growth, it brings us all great pride," Gandhi said.

The Congress leader arrived in San Francisco on Tuesday for a three-city US tour during which he will interact with the Indian diaspora and meet American lawmakers.

Last week, Indian Overseas Congress chairperson Sam Pitroda said Gandhi's visit is aimed at promoting shared values and a vision of real democracy.

"The purpose of his (Gandhi's) trip is to connect, interact and begin a new conversation with various individuals, institutions and media, including the Indian diaspora that is growing in numbers in the United States and abroad to promote the shared values and vision of the real democracy with a focus on freedom, inclusion, sustainability, justice, peace and opportunities world over," Pitroda said in a statement.

With agency inputs.

First Published:May 31, 2023 11:51 AM IST