Rahul Gandhi calls BJP-RSS bunch of jokers, mocks Modi foreign policy

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Thursday called the BJP and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh a "bunch of jokers" who lack an understanding of India's history and present-day realities, while sharply criticizing Prime Minister Narendra Modi's foreign policy as being centered on hugging world leaders. Speaking at the Rachnatmak Congress National Convention at the Constitution Club of India in New Delhi, the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha also alleged that the RSS has lost its original character and become an "instrument of large capital," specifically naming industrialists Gautam Adani and Mukesh Ambani.

Gandhi questioned why the opposition should feel intimidated by the ruling alliance. "I can understand if you are fighting the British Empire and suddenly you say, I'm feeling a bit scared. But you're fighting a bunch of jokers. How can you feel scared?" he remarked. He asserted that the RSS and its allies have no insight into India's philosophy or history, arguing that understanding the country requires connecting with its present-day expression, not just its ancient past.

The Congress leader mocked what he described as a simplistic approach to diplomacy under the...