Cong compares govt with British rule, BJP hits back

Leader of Opposition in the Rajasthan assembly Tikaram Jully on Monday compared the BJP's politics to the British-era "divide and rule" strategy, even as state Congress chief Govind Singh Dotasra slammed the state government on the occasion of Ambedkar Jayanti, accusing it of undermining democracy and the Constitution.

- Sachin Saini

JAIPUR: Leader of Opposition in the Rajasthan assembly Tikaram Jully on Monday compared the BJP's politics to the British-era "divide and rule" strategy, even as state Congress chief Govind Singh Dotasra slammed the state government on the occasion of Ambedkar Jayanti, accusing it of undermining democracy and the Constitution. The BJP hit back and accused the Congress of having followed the divide and rule policy for 70 years.

Addressing the party workers at the Congress headquarters in Jaipur, Jully drew parallels between British colonial policies and BJP's current political strategies, said, "What the British did under the policy of divide and rule, the BJP is doing now."

He accused the BJP of inciting divisions across the country: "In Rajasthan, they pitted Gujjars against Meenas; in Haryana, Jats against non-Jats; in Maharashtra, it's Marathas versus non-Marathas; and in Manipur, Meiteis and Kukis have been turned against each other. As a result, Manipur has been burning for over a year."

Speaking about the BJP's ideology, Jully said, "We should have understood their mentality from day one. When the Constitution was implemented and Dr. Ambedkar gave equal rights to the backward classes and women, it was the RSS that burned copies of the Constitution. Their opposition to Ambedkar's ideas dates back to that moment."