New Delhi: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday said the students of the country are in "severe pain" and they don't need Prime Minister Narendra Modi's forgiveness but his apology for his government's actions against them.
Speaking at an event to launch the book of former MP Vaiko, the leader of the opposition said that the students are on the streets because of the RSS' attempts to change the country's history, adding that "India will not tolerate its history to be trampled upon by anybody".
Gandhi said every state has the right to be treated fairly and express its own culture and language, but the "RSS wants that only the history subscribed by it should be followed and that is why the fight".
"We are going through strange times as the students are on the streets and are in severe pain. They don't have work and are asking for fairness in exams and an education system that works. On the other hand, the prime minister is forgiving them. Who is he to forgive me or them, I don't know. Where does he get this idea that he can forgive me or the future of India, I don't know," he said at the event.
Gandhi claimed that behind the prime minister or the RSS is a "dangerous idea - the idea that this country is not an expression of the many".
He said that in the Constitution, it is clearly written that India, that is Bharat, is a union of states and the state is an expression of the people of India.
"When you say Tamil Nadu, inside is the history of Tamil people, their pain, suffering, happiness. The Constitution says every state represents one history, tradition, language. Every single state has the right to that, which must be treated fairly. Every state has the right to express itself, its own culture and language.
"Here are some ignorant people who don't understand Tamil, Marathi, Bengali people and say none of these histories and imaginations are relevant. The only history that is important is the one ascribed by the RSS. This is why this fight is important. This is why the students are out on the streets. India will not tolerate its history being trampled by anybody," Gandhi said at the book launch event.
The Congress leader thanked Vaiko for his service to the country, saying that it was an honour to be at his book launch event.
"He is an inspiration for all of us," he said.
Among others who were present at the book launch were Tamil Nadu Education Minister A Rajmohan, TMC leaders Sagarika Ghosh, Congress leaders P Chidambaram and Manickam Tagore, besides former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Farooq Abdullah, CPI-M general secretary M A Baby, CPI general secretary D Raja, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut, RJD leader Manoj Kumar Jha, RSP's N K Premchandran and NCP-SP leader Supriya Sule.
This report was published from a syndicated wire feed. Apart from the headline, the EdexLive Desk has not edited the copy.