Thursday, October 8, 2009

I will visit dalit homes till I die: Rahul

Thursday,8 October 2009

Thiruvananthapuram: Rahul Gandhi has blunted UP chief minister Mayawati's criticism that his visits to Dalit homes were a political stunt saying he only saw people as "human beings" and that he will continue this till "I die".

Asserting in an emotional tone that these visits were a learning process which would end the day "I die", the AICC General Secretary said, "if she(BSP leader) doesn't like it my apologies to her".

He said he did not believe in the caste system. Rahul also said the media had thrust a Dalit "frame" on his visits to the backward districts of the country. Asked about his visits only to Dalit houses, he said, "I personally don't believe in caste system...I go to a human being's house and not a dalit's house. The frame of dalit is your frame, not mine... You see him as a dalit, I see him as a poor person,".

"The day I die I will stop learning. I hope I will continue to learn till the day I die," he told reporters. On a visit to Kerala to strengthen the party's youth wings, Gandhi expressed confidence that Congress will come to power in UP but did not want to hazard a guess on when it will happen.

"I can guarantee that this is going to happen and people are going to be proud of the Congress government in the state," he said. In a veiled attack on non-Congress parties ruling certain states, Rahul said the "inability" of the state governments there to reach out to the people was one of the reasons for spread of naxalism there.

In states like Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh or Orissa, the governments were not reaching out to the people, which was one reason behind spread of naxalism, he said.

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