Modi has no interest in Dalits: Rahul

Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Monday launched a sharp attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi accusing him of "having no place in his heart" for Dalits and other weaker sections of the society.

Flagging off the 'Save the Constitution' campaign here, Rahul slammed Modi for his "silence" on the incidents of atrocities against Dalits and women and dared him to a 15-minute debate in Parliament.

The Congress president also attacked Modi for maligning the image of the country on foreign shores when he was publicly upbraided by the chairperson of the International Monetary Fund for not doing enough to ensure women's safety.

"This is the first time in 70 years that someone has spoken in such a manner... the entire country understands that our prime minister is interested in only one thing. Modiji is interested only in Modi," Rahul said.

"Let the Dalits die, let the minorities face atrocities, let the nation burn, let the women get raped... Narendra Modi wants to understand only one thing — how to become prime minister again," the Congress president said.

"There is no place for Dalits, weaker sections of the society and women in Modi's heart," Rahul said.

Rahul began his speech by quoting an extract from Modi's book Karmayogi, in which the prime minister has described the spirituality the Valmiki community experienced in the act of cleaning of toilets everyday.

Through the 'Save the Constitution' campaign, the Congress aims to reach out to Dalits and weaker sections of the society, particularly in the 84 Lok Sabha constituencies reserved for the Scheduled Castes.

The BJP had bagged nearly half of the 84 seats in the 2014 Lok Sabha polls, particularly in states such as Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. The Congress only won three to four seats.

The 'Save the Constitution' campaign will continue till next year's April 14, the birth anniversary of Dalit icon B R Ambedkar.