At a well-attended show of strength by rebel JD(U) Janata Dal (United) veteran Sharad Yadav, top leaders of all Opposition parties vowed to take on the BJP’s “divisive agenda”, which they said is emboldening China and Pakistan to exhibit aggression at the borders.

While Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi focused his attack on the RSS, which he said wants to “rewrite the Constitution” to alienate communities and snatch their voting rights, former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah said India can easily tackle external threats if it manages to contain the “enemy within”, which is dividing citizens on the basis of their religion and caste.

The Opposition meeting, held under the banner of Sanjhi Virasat Bachao (Save Composite Culture), was also attended by former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, his party colleague Ahmed Patel, Left leaders Sitaram Yechury and D Raja, Dalit leader Prakash Ambedkar, and representatives from the TMC, NCP and SP.

Call to unite

Sharad was the star of the show, being hailed as the leader of the opposition coalition. Appealing to all sections committed to the idea of India as enshrined in the Constitution, he said: “I have pasted the preamble of the Constitution for all of us to read and understand once again. What we are pitted against is the threat to the Constitution by forces who seek to divide the country. But we should not forget that they got only 31 per cent of the vote. We have with us people who represent the other 69 per cent. The need is for us to unite the Dalits, tribals, OBCs and everyone else against the majoritarian policies of the ruling BJP.”

In the wake of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s outreach to Kashmiris in his Independence Day speech, where he underlined that their issues cannot be resolved by “either bullets or abuses” but by embracing all Kashmiris, Farooq Abdullah made a broadside. “They are talking about unity but are they creating the atmosphere for it? They talk a lot but lack in action,” he said.

Expressing grief over the situation in the region, he added: “We are loyal but it is painful that they are not large hearted.” An all-party delegation came to Kashmir to evaluate the situation there and also gave its report but nothing had been done on that, he added.

Abdullah went on to assert that India can face China and Pakistan but the actual threat is from within. “There is a thief sitting inside who is determined to spoil everything,” he said.

People are trying to question the nationality of Kashmiris, he further said. “Who are they to ask us about our nationality? We Kashmiris chose India over Pakistan during Partition because India guarantees equality. And I say it with pride that I am an Indian Muslim,” he said.

Rahul targeted the PM, asserting that he misrepresents facts. “He wants Swachh Bharat but what the people are looking for is Sach (truth) Bharat,” he quipped.

The Congress leader, who had fought a long legal battle against the RSS for alleging that the Sangh was involved in Mahatma Gandhi’s assassination, once again targeted the organisation.

“The RSS knows that its ideology cannot win them elections. That’s why it is filling its people in every institution — in the press, judiciary and the bureaucracy. Their only aim is to destroy the Constitution, which gives every citizen a vote. But the RSS wants to kill this. They want to change the Constitution. They know that till there is one man-one vote, this country cannot belong to them,” he said.

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