Lagatar24 Desk
New Delhi: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has called for an apology from Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, accusing him of making derogatory remarks about Hindus and spreading misinformation about the Agnipath recruitment policy during his speech in the Lok Sabha. Gandhi, in his address during the debate on the motion of thanks to the President’s speech, criticized the BJP for fostering communal division and claimed that Agniveers who die in action are not given the same treatment as other recruits.
“Our great leaders spoke of non-violence, but those who claim to be Hindus speak only of hatred… you are not a Hindu,” Gandhi remarked, targeting the BJP. Displaying an image of the Hindu deity Lord Shiva, he asserted, “If you look at Lord Shiva’s image, you know Hindus can never spread fear and hatred… but the BJP spreads fear and hatred 24×7.”
The BJP interpreted Gandhi’s comments as an affront to Hindus. Party president and Union minister JP Nadda demanded an immediate apology, stating, “Rahul Gandhi Ji must immediately APOLOGISE to all Hindus for terming them as violent. This is the same person who was telling foreign diplomats that Hindus are terrorists. This intrinsic hate towards Hindus must stop.”
Despite the Congress clarifying that Gandhi’s statement was directed specifically at the BJP and not Hindus in general, the BJP continued to press for an apology. Union minister Ashwini Vaishnaw criticized Gandhi for questioning the armed forces, making remarks about the Speaker’s post, and misleading Parliament on various issues, including compensation to farmers in Ayodhya and the Agnipath scheme.
“He tried to mislead Parliament… he said compensation had not been paid to farmers in Ayodhya, whereas ?253 crore has been paid to over 4,000 shopkeepers. The most important issue is that he insulted Hindus,” Vaishnaw said, referencing past instances where Congress leaders allegedly made similar remarks about Hindus.
Gandhi was also accused of lowering the dignity of the political discourse and linking religious imagery to politics, which Vaishnaw termed “unpardonable.” He refuted Gandhi’s claim that martyrs under the Agniveer scheme would not receive compensation, citing Defence Minister Rajnath Singh’s assurance that martyrs would receive ?1 crore in compensation.
Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju joined the criticism, stating that the Speaker had been requested to address the issue and ensure that any unverified statements made in the House are corrected. Rijiju emphasized that if Gandhi’s statements were found to be false, he would have to face the consequences as per the House’s rules and regulations.
Meanwhile, Ayodhya MP Awadhesh Prasad defended Gandhi, clarifying that his comments were directed at the BJP and RSS (Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh) ideologies, not Hindus as a whole. “He spoke about the mindset of the BJP and the ideology of the RSS. His statement was not for Hindus, it was for the people of BJP, RSS,” Prasad asserted.
