Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Monday said that Congress always wanted to protect and develop the diverse culture of people of all states and Union Territories in India.

Addressing election rally in poll-bound Manipur at Hapta Kangjeibung in Imphal he said the vision and ideology of the BJP and the RSS are to prevail one idea, one culture and one language and these are superior to all other ideas, all other language and all other cultures.

Gandhi referring to his recent Lok Sabha speech on “Union of states” said that Congress always wanted to protect and develop the diverse culture of people of all states and Union Territories in India.

He said, “Prime Minister Narendra Modi, BJP and RSS leaders are coming to Manipur not with respect to the people of the state, not with understanding, they come with a sense of superiority. PM comes Manipur with the idea that he has a superior vision, superior language and he has the right to define about India. ”

He added, ” I come Manipur with humility; because I understand that you lot to give. I come here to learn lot from you because there is a diverse culture, languages and traditions here. PM will come in Manipur on Tuesday with an air of superiority to tell you what he thinks and not to learn from you,” the Congress leader said.

Gandhi said that Congress believed that in India where every state had equal rights and the right to have its own language, culture and history. “But now he is not talking about those commitments …he is not talking about three black farm laws. He is not talking now about the severely bad effect of ‘Note Bandhi’ (demonetisation). He is not talking about the flawed GST.

The faulty GST was created to help two to three millionaires and to destroy the small and medium industries and enterprises. In 40 years, the highest number of unemployment India is now witnessing.”

Attacking the Rs 11,000 crore National Palm oil cultivation mission of the government, said that this cultivation would noway help the farmers of Manipur it would destroy the economy of Manipur.

“Companies like Patanjali and large business organisations would be benefited and make profit from this cultivation. We are not interested to help Baba Ramdev and punish Manipuri people. We are always keen to protect the interest of Manipur and to make the state self-sufficient in rice production,” he observed.

He said said his party led government in Manipur helped a lot to the ‘Ima Keithal’ and more such ‘Ima Keithal’ would be set up in future to empower the women in the state. Congress believed in women empowerment.

The Ima keithal are all women markets.

Gandhi said that Modi is the first Prime Minister in the world who campaigned for “Thali Bajao to vanish coronavirus…. when his Thali Bajao scheme failed he ask people to switch on the mobile phone light to eradicate the virus”.

The elections to the 60-seat Manipur assembly would be held in two phases on February 28 and March 5.