Raebareli, Feb 20 (PTI) Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Thursday hailed the contribution of the Dalits towards the making of the Constitution and said it is "your ideology but wherever you go now, you are crushed by the system" as he also highlighted the poor representation of the community in the corporate world.

Gandhi also said he was disappointed that Mayawati's Bahujan Samaj Party did not join Congress to fight polls against the BJP together.

He slammed big corporate groups, claiming jobs don't come from "Ambani and Adani but small businesses create them".

The Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha and Raebareli MP said this while interacting with a group of Scheduled Caste students of 'Mool Bharti' hostel near Bargad Chauraha here. He was accompanied by Congress Amethi MP Kishori Lal Sharma and other party leaders.

Noting that Dalits make up 15 per cent of the country's population, he named some top private companies which are part of the "big 500" firms, and asked the youths how many of those had a Dalit owner.

When one youth responded "none", Gandhi asked him, "Why not?" Another youth replied "because we don't have adequate facilities".

Gandhi disagreed and said "(B R) Ambedkar ji did not have any facility. He was alone in his efforts yet he shook the politics of the country." "There is an entire system which is against you and doesn't want you to progress. The system attacks you everyday and half of the time you don't even get to know how it attacks you," the former Congress president told them.

"You need to understand that the ideology of the Constitution is your ideology. I can say this to you with guarantee that had there not been Dalits in this country, it would not have got its Constitution. It's your ideology, it's your Constitution but wherever you go now, you are crushed by the system," Gandhi added.

Holding a copy of the Constitution and asked, "How old is this?" He then explained, "It is a 3,000-year-old book containing ideas that are just as old. The thoughts of Lord Buddha and many great personalities are included in this. When Dr BR Ambedkar framed the Constitution, where did these ideas come from? They came from your society." During the discussion, a student named Bholanath raised concerns about the lack of job openings despite having completed a B.Ed. degree.

Gandhi responded, "The government has shut down opportunities for tribals and backward communities. They are pushing privatization." Another student, Pramod Kumar, asked what unemployed youth could expect from him if he came to power.

The MP replied, "When our government comes, we will ensure maximum recruitment in the government sector. Jobs are not created by Ambani and Adani; they come from small businesses." Speaking about economic disparities, Gandhi said, "Adani can take a Rs 1 lakh crore bank loan with ease, and if he fails to repay, it will be written off. But if you take a loan and ask for a waiver, you will be chased away. These banks don't belong to Adani and Ambani; they belong to the people. GST needs to be reformed." Gagan Kumar requested the establishment of a university for SC and underprivileged communities.

In response, Gandhi criticized RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat's stance on language, saying, "Mohan Bhagwat keeps saying that people should speak Hindi instead of English. But if you learn English, you can go anywhere and work for any company." Gandhi also interacted with the students about BSP founder Kanshi Ram's role in Indian politics. "I believe Kanshi Ram Ji laid the foundation, and Behenji (Mayawati) built upon it," he said.

He then questioned Mayawati's current political stance, adding, "I wanted Behenji to fight alongside us against the BJP, but for some reason, she did not. This was deeply disappointing. If all three parties had united, the BJP would never have won." Gandhi is on a two-day visit to his parliamentary constituency from Thursday. PTI KIS/COR ZMN