New Delhi

Launchinga sharp ideological attack on the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Thursday accused the organisation of attempting to impose its version of the “truth” on 1.5 billion Indians, stating that only individuals have the right to define their own paths.

Speaking at the “Hara Bhara Swaraj: A Tribute to Rajiv Gandhi’s Vision” programme in the national capital, Gandhi contrasted the RSS’s philosophy with Mahatma Gandhi’s concept of ‘Swaraj’ (self-rule).

“What Gandhiji was saying was that every living being is a unique entity with their own path towards the truth. I cannot tell you what your truth is. Today, the ideological battle in India is precisely that. It is not fundamentally about environment, politics, or free media--those are symptoms. The real fight is that a small group of people have decided, because they control the system, that they know the truth of everyone in this country. That is my problem with the RSS: the RSS has decided that they know the truth of 1.5 billion people. And I say, no. Only 1.5 billion people can know their own truth,” Rahul Gandhi asserted.

“And I say, no. Only 1.5 billion people can know their own truth. Even I cannot do that. If I begin to believe that I know your truth, I would be a madman. Because I am not you. I haven’t faced what you’ve faced; I haven’t seen what you’ve seen; I haven’t dealt with what you’ve dealt with. I don’t have the same parents, the same friends, or the same life. So how can I say that I know your truth?” he added.

Noting how Mahatma Gandhi’s autobiography was titled ‘My Experiments with Truth’, and not ‘The Truth,’ he further said, “Please notice, Gandhiji’s book was not called ‘The Truth’ or ‘My Understanding of the Truth’. It was titled ‘My Experiments with Truth’. I have experiments with my truth; you have experiments with your truth.”

Rahul Gandhi further accused the BJP and RSS of creating a sense of exclusion among various communities, stating that such actions are harming “Bharat Mata.” (ANI)