New Delhi: Congress President Rahul Gandhi during an interaction with the eminent academicians at Siri Fort Auditorium, in New Delhi, Saturday, Sep 22, 2018. (PTI Photo/Atul Yadav) New Delhi: Congress President Rahul Gandhi during an interaction with the eminent academicians at Siri Fort Auditorium, in New Delhi, Saturday, Sep 22, 2018. (PTI Photo/Atul Yadav)

Interacting with academics and teachers from across the country, Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Saturday claimed that institutions such as the Supreme Court and Election Commission were being systematically captured by the RSS as they have realised that they cannot win elections repeatedly. Saying that India cannot be run on one single idea, Rahul said the autonomy of educational institutions and freedom of teachers would be restored if the Congress returns to power at the Centre.

The Indian teaching system, he said, should be allowed to have its own voice and express its own opinion.

Rahul also spoke against contractual system of appointment of teachers, arguing there would be no harmony in the classroom if the teachers are not given a vision of their future. He favoured allocation of 6 per cent of GDP to education and backed the public education system.

“I am not saying that there is no space for private institutions. There has to be space for private institutions but the guiding light, the foundation, the superstructure has to be the public education system,” he said.

Attacking the present dispensation, he said teachers are feeling pressured because an ideology is being imposed on them.

“There are two visions of India. Our vision of India is that India is the people who live in it India is all of us. So for our vision, the only way to understand India is to talk to India…The RSS vision of India and Amit Shah has said it. He said ‘yeh sone ki chidiya hain’…meaning it is a product. For them India is a product and the product has to be monetised. It has to be utilised and they will decide who is going to utilise and monetise the product. That is the RSS,” he said.

He said the RSS has understood that they cannot win the electoral battle again and again. “So now what they are doing …what they are saying is that elections will come and elections will go…let us capture all of India’s institutions…That is what is going on and that is why you are feeling pressured. Because the educational institutions, the Supreme Court, the Election Commission all these are systematically being captured,” he said.

“The idea is there should be no institution that does not have the tentacles of the RSS inside,” he said, adding that he heard RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat saying some time ago that “we are going to organise the whole nation.”

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