New Delhi: Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi, who initiated the debate in the Lok Sabha on the Motion of Thanks for the President's address on Monday, said those claiming to be Hindus were engaging in "violence and hate".
The remarks drew the ire from the members of the treasury benches, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi asserting that calling the entire Hindu society violent is a "serious" matter.
Speaking about the BJP, Rahul said neither the saffron party nor the RSS or Modi represent the Hindu society in its entirety. The Rae Bareli MP was holding a picture of God Shiva, saying that His message was about fearlessness and non-violence. The Congress leader also referred to such teachings from other religions to make a similar point.
Every Religion Preaches Non-Violence, Fearlessness
"All religions and all our great men talk about non-violence and fearlessness, but those who call themselves Hindus only talk about violence, hatred and falsehood.... Aap Hindu ho hi nahi (You are not Hindus)," the former Congress chief said. The critical point prompted the BJP members to be up on their feet, taking objections to such remarks.
Amit Shah's Rebuttal
Home Minister Amit Shah demanded that the Congress leader apologise to the House and the country for "hurting" the feelings of crores of people who take pride in identifying themselves as Hindus. The HM recalled the days of the Emergency and the 1984 anti-Sikhs riots for the counter-attack on Rahul, dismissing him of having any right to talk either non-violence or "terror" as Congress was a party that terrorised the country.
What Religions Say?
Rahul went back to his speech, emphasising that almost every religion speaks about courage and listed Islam, Christianity, Buddhism, Jainism and Sikhism, from where he drew the references underscoring the importance of fearlessness. The Congress Party's Leader in Lok Sabha accused the saffron party of launching systematic attacks on the Constitution. He also accused them of attacking the fundamental idea of India, asserting that millions of people have resisted the ideas propped up by the BJP.
Happy That BJP Repeats 'Jai Samvidhan'
"I was attacked on the orders of Prime Minister Modi. There were 20-plus cases (against me), (my) house was taken away, 55 hours of interrogation by the ED," Rahul recalled, on what he went through during the previous BJP regime. "Despite these challenges, I feel proud of the collective effort to protect the Constitution. It feels nice that BJP people are now repeating 'Jai Samvidhan' after me," he said.
