Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi has hit out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the abrupt cessation of hostilities with Pakistan “at the behest of the US” and cited the Adani and Ambani business houses while highlighting the need for a caste census to eventually achieve equitable distribution of wealth.

Rahul was speaking at Bhopal’s Rabindra Bhavan where he launched the Congress’s Sangathan Srijan Abhiyan in Madhya Pradesh.

“I know these BJP-RSS people well. Put some pressure on them and they get scared and flee,” the Congress leader said. “Trump picked up the phone and said, ‘Modiji, what are you doing? Narendra, surrender!’ And Modiji said ‘Ji hazoor’ and obeyed Trump’s indication. You will remember a time when not a phone call, but the Seventh Fleet (of the US Navy) had come during the 1971 war…. Indira Gandhi said, ‘I will do what I have to’.”

Rahul added: “From the time of Independence, this is their character: to write letters of surrender…. Gandhiji, Jawaharlal Nehru, Sardar Patel — these were not surrender people. These were people who fought against superpowers.”

Claiming victory in compelling the Centre to agree to a caste census, the Congress leader said: “Modiji used to earlier say that there is no caste. Then he said there are only four castes. During polls, he becomes an OBC…. A little bit of pressure came, they surrendered.”

He added: “They’ve come under pressure and announced it. But they don’t want to do it because they don’t want justice in this country. They want an Ambani-Adani country, a country of billionaires.”

“You will find Adani in the defence industry. In Chhattisgarh’s mining, you will find Adani. Walk on Adani’s roads. Infrastructure is his, cement is his…. Besides these two-three people, it seems like there is no businessman in India. There is a case against Adani in the US. But he can do anything he wants in India. Why? Because he is Narendra Modi’s friend,” Rahul said.

The Congress MP added: “What does Adani make? He entirely sells Chinese products in India. Adani makes money, Ambani makes money. And China sells its goods in India.”

Rahul concluded by saying that district Congress committee presidents — chosen in the organisational revamp — would have the power to nominate candidates for elections at all levels.

“I will stand with those who want to promote the Congress and its ideology,” he said.