Rahul Gandhi accuses BJP, RSS of destroying Constitution in West Bengal rally

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday launched a sharp political offensive in pollbound West Bengal accusing the Bharatiya Janata Party BJP and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh RSS of undermining the Constitution while also criticising the ruling All India Trinamool Congress over unemployment and governance issues in the state reported news agency PTIAddressing rallies in Raiganj and Malda Gandhi combined attacks on both the Centre and the state government positioning Congress as an alternative capable of challenging the BJP at the national levelAccuses BJP RSS of weakening constitutional valuesGandhi alleged that the BJP and RSS were eroding the Constitution through what he described as ldquohatedriven politicsrdquo He further accused the two organisations of manipulating electoral processes claiming they were involved in ldquovote theftrdquo reported PTIHe also criticised the Special Intensive Revision SIR of electoral rolls calling it unconstitutional and alleging that such exercises were used to influence voter lists in favour of the ruling partyTargets Mamata Banerjee government over unemploymentTurning his focus to the state government led by Mamata Banerjee Gandhi accused it of failing to deliver on employment promisesHe claimed that while the government had assured jobs to five lakh people around 84 lakh youths had applied for unemployment allowance indicating a significant gap between promises and delivery He further alleged that industries in the state had shut down contributing to rising joblessness reported PTICongress positions itself as BJPrsquos primary challengerGandhi asserted that the Congress remains the only party capable of taking on the BJP nationwide suggesting that regional parties like the TMC lack the reach to counter the saffron party at the national level reported PTIHe also promised that if Congress comes to power names of individuals allegedly removed from electoral rolls during the revision process would be restoredAllegations of corruption and governance failuresThe Congress leader accused the TMC government of corruption referring to past financial scandals and alleging that syndicates linked to ruling party members were benefiting from irregularities reported PTIHe also charged the state administration with fostering a culture of violence and failing to maintain transparency while claiming that central funds due to West Bengal had not been fully released by the NDA government reported PTICriticism of Centre over trade and economic policiesGandhi also targeted Prime Minister Narendra Modi over economic and foreign policy decisions particularly in relation to a proposed trade agreement with the United States reported PTIHe claimed that such a deal could adversely impact small and medium enterprises in India leading to job losses and weakening domestic industries Gandhi further alleged that Indiarsquos agriculture and energy sectors were being compromised due to external pressures reported PTIAdditionally he raised concerns about data security alleging that sensitive national data was being shared in a manner that could affect national securityPolitical battle intensifies ahead of electionsWith elections approaching in West Bengal Gandhirsquos remarks signal an intensifying political contest involving the Congress BJP and TMC His dual criticism of both the Centre and the state government reflects the partyrsquos strategy to expand its influence in the regionThe rallies in Raiganj and Maldamdashareas where Congress has historically maintained a presencemdashhighlight the partyrsquos efforts to regain political ground and mobilise voters ahead of the pollsWith inputs from PTI