We approached Mayawati, she ignored, paved way for BJP... because of CBI, ED and Pegasus: Rahul

New Delhi: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Saturday blamed the BSP chief Mayawati for not trucking with the grand old party and paving way for the BJP's victory in Uttar Pradesh. Rahul was speaking at the launch of the book “The Dalit Truth” edited by party functionary K Raju at Jawahar Bhawan.

The former Congress chief said he had suggested the BSP supremo to fight the recent assembly elections in alliance with Congress and become CM again. The former Congress chief said till the common people came out to fight against the controlling of the institutions, those in power will continue to do that.

“We messaged Mayawati. We said come have an alliance, fight elections and become chief minister again but she refused to discuss the issue. Mayawatiji said I will not fight for that voice and gave way to the BJP. Why...because of the CBI, ED and Pegasus,” Rahul said. Noting that Mayawati’s mentor and BSP founder Kanshiram “had given his sweat and blood to empower the Dalits in UP, which hurt the Congress,” Rahul lamented that Mayawati refused to even discuss the issue.

Rahul Gandhi alleged that the BJP/RSS were blocking implementation of the Constitution by controlling institutions like the CBI and the ED, which was hurting the poor. “Constitution has no meaning without institutions. The Constitution is implemented through the institutions which are in the hands of the RSS today,” Rahul said.

“This is not a new attack. The attack on the Constitution had started the day Mahatma Gandhi was shot dead,” said the former Congress chief. He further said that though Dr BR Ambedkar had drafted the Constitution, the “political system today was being controlled by the establishment through media, a few rich corporates, Pegasus software and agencies like the CBI and the ED.”

“Poor are hurt the most when the Constitution is blocked. Dalits, Tribals, minorities, unemployed and small farmers also suffer,” he said. The Wayanad Lok Sabha MP exhorted the people to fight, saying the path shown by Mahatma Gandhi was a difficult one but “we will have to walk that path.”

The Congress has been raising the issue of CBI and ED raids at the properties of opposition leaders saying such acts were like political witch-hunting. “Today, no CBI, ED raids on the opposition have become the news as such attacks have become the norm,” Congress spokesperson Abhishek Manu Singhvi said.

Notably, Congress allies Shiv Sena, NCP in Maharashtra and TMC in West Bengal have been at the receiving end of the central probe agencies. NCP chief Pawar recently complained to PM Modi over ED attaching the property of Sena leader Sanjay Raut’s wife recently, terming it unjust.

Earlier in his speech, Rahul said he had been concerned about the practice of untouchability even before he joined active politics and trying to understand its causes. Recalling his earlier visit to Dalit victims of violence in Una, he said the community had been facing injustice for long and his interactions with them had been an eye opener.

“The country gave me a thrashing and I used to wonder why it was happening. Then I got the answer. The country was teaching me…to learn and understand…the country has given me so much love…that’s a debt on me…how will I repay that…I am trying to understand my country,” said Rahul.

“But I have no hatred for the killers of my father (former prime minister late Rajiv Gandhi),” he said.