Ahmedabad, Apr 9 (PTI) Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday termed the Waqf (Amendment) Act as “anti-Constitution” and an attack on the freedom of religion, warning that the BJP-RSS will soon go after the rights of other minorities like Sikhs and Christians.

Addressing the AICC session on the banks of Sabarmati river here, he also hit out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi over his “silence” on imposition of tariffs by the US and asked where he was hiding.

He also recalled how Modi used to “boast about his friend”.

Gandhi, who addressed the AICC delegates just before conclusion, cautioned of economic turmoil after tariffs, accusing Modi of succumbing to US pressures.

“Did you see the photograph of PM Modi hugging Trump? This time he ordered Modi ji that ‘we will not hug but will impose new tariffs’. PM Modi did not say a word. To divert attention from this they ran a drama in Parliament for two days,” he said, asking, “Where is the PM hiding?” Referring to Modi’s recent meeting with Bangladesh’s Chief Advisor Mohammad Yunus, Gandhi said the Bangladeshi leader “gives adverse remarks and he is sitting with him”.

“Where is the 56-inch chest,” Gandhi asked, taking a swipe at Modi.

He also assured that the party would break the 50 per cent ceiling of reservation for SCs/STs/OBCs and pushed for a caste census across the country to provide equal share to people as per their population.

Gandhi lauded Congress-ruled Telangana for showing the path to the country by conducting the caste survey by raising the reservation of OBCs to 42 per cent.

“We will break the wall of 50 per cent reservation. What Telangana has done, we are going to do across the country,” he asserted.

“Modi ji talks 24 hours about backwards, tribals, but when it comes to their ‘bhaagidari’ (participation), then BJP people keep quiet,” he noted.

Gandhi disclosed that the caste census had revealed that 90 per cent of the population there, which included the Dalits, OBCs, Adivasis, minorities and poor from the general castes had no say anywhere.

Noting that the situation was so in every state, he said this can be rectified only through a caste census which is like the social X-ray of the country. He noted that it is not merely a count of people, but reveals the share of their participation in decision-making process.

The Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha claimed that the Congress, by empowering DCC chiefs, is going to make them the foundation of the party.

The former Congress chief also hit out at the BJP-RSS for their polarising agenda, alleging that they were full of hatred. He attacked them over the recent incident in Rajasthan, where a temple was purified with ‘Gangajal’ after CLP leader Tika Ram Jully, a Dalit, visited it.

“And they claim to be Hindus. They don’t give a right to a Dalit to enter a temple. They get it cleaned. This is not our religion. Our religion is that which respects every religion and every person,” he noted.

Referring to an article in an RSS-linked magazine, Gandhi alleged that it reveals that the BJP and RSS have now set their sight on the rights of Christians, and Sikhs would be next.

Gandhi alleged that the RSS’ ideology is against the Constitution and “they want to control all institutions in the country” through a “hidden agenda”.

He said it was only the Congress that can defeat the BJP-RSS and no other party as the Congress has an ideology, which is enshrined in the constitution of the country.

“It is a fight between two ideologies… The Constitution is under attack, as this Constitution is an ideological document that reflects the ideology of the Congress, and not of the BJP,” he said.

He told party leaders that the fight is for the Constitution and it is not easy.

“They have everything at their disposal but we have truth and the love of the people on our side,” Gandhi said.

Talking of privatisation of Public Sector Undertakings, which used to provide jobs to lakhs of people, he said these were being handed over to people like Adani and Ambani. He alleged that everything like ports, airports, cement industry, defence industry and other things were being handed over to Adani.

Exhorting the party workers to be battle ready, Gandhi said, “change is in the air” as people are fed up with the BJP.

Suggesting that the BJP won the Maharashtra election by manipulation, he said, ask the people of Maharashtra how the BJP won there. He said the Election Commission of India was still not able to provide the Maharashtra voter list to the Congress. PTI ASK/SKC ZMN