Bhopal, September 30: Launching a scathing at the ruling BJP at his first public rally in poll-bound Madhya Pradesh on Saturday, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi accused the Shivraj Singh Chouhan government of making the state "an epicentre of corruption" in the country. Addressing the rally in Kalapipal assembly constituency of Shajapur district in Malwa region, he cited the 'Vyapam scams'.

"MBBS degrees are being sold, exam papers are being leaked and sold, and corruption was done in the construction of Mahakal Lok corridor," he said. Participating in the Congress’s Jan Aakrosh Yatra in Shajapur, Gandhi claimed that his party was fighting against the ideologies of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and the BJP. Madhya Pradesh Assembly Elections 2023: Congress Likely To Release First List of Candidates After October 5 as Part of Strategy, Say Sources.

"On one side, there is the Congress and on the other side, there is the RSS and the BJP. On one side, there is hatred and violence and on the other side, there is love, respect and brotherhood," he added. Accusing the BJP government in Madhya Pradesh of not giving adequate compensation to the farmers whose crops get damaged due to heavy rain and drought, he said the farmers in Congress-ruled Chhattisgarh have been benefited with various schemes.

"We have fulfilled all promises we had made to the people of Chhattisgarh in 2018,” Gandhi said, adding that anyone can visit Chhattisgarh to find the reality." Madhya Pradesh Assembly Elections 2023: MP Cabinet Minister Yashodhara Raje Scindia Not To Contest Coming Polls.

Meanwhile, he reiterated the Congress stand on the Women's Reservation Bill, and pushed for reservation for OBC women within it. "When I ask the question how many Dalits, OBCs, tribals, generals are there in the country, PM Modi maintains silence on it. After forming the government at the Centre, the first thing we will do is to conduct a caste census," he added.

He reiterated his claim that the country was being run by only 90 officers, including the Cabinet Secretary and Secretaries at the Centre, while the BJP MPs and MLAs had no role in framing policies and laws in the country. "The RSS and bureaucrats are framing laws instead of elected BJP members," Gandhi alleged.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Sep 30, 2023 04:52 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).