Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah, and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, strongly retaliated against Rahul Gandhi speech. The Congress MP, who now holds the position of Leader of the Opposition, was accused of insulting Hindus by the ruling party.
During his speech, Mr. Gandhi brandished a copy of the Constitution and presented photographs of religious figures as he launched a scathing attack on the BJP and its ideological mentor, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). He claimed that neither of these entities truly represented the entirety of Hindus.
In response, Prime Minister Modi took the floor twice to counter the statements made by the Congress leader. The heated exchange highlighted the deep ideological divide between the two political factions.
“Calling the entire Hindu society violent is a serious issue…” Narendra Modi said first.
His second intervention drew jeers from his rivals; the Prime Minister declared the Constitution had taught him to respect the post of the Leader of the Opposition, which is held today by Rahul Gandhi.
The jeers were because the opposition has claimed the government is trying to subvert the Constitution – a charge the BJP has trashed – and Rahul Gandhi was among MPs adding “Jai Samvidhan” to their oaths last month.
“It feels nice… BJP people are repeating ‘Jai Samvidhan‘ after me,” he quipped.
The specific trigger to the ruckus today was Mr Gandhi’s pointed attack on the BJP and the RSS, whom he accused of violence against minorities. “Our great men spoke about non-violence (but) those who call themselves Hindus talk only about hatred… aap Hindu ho hinahin (you are not a Hindu),” he said.
Rahul Gandhi’s Fiery Speech
Rahul Gandhi began his speech by claiming a “full-scale and systematic assault on the idea of India… the Constitution… and on people who resisted the attack on the Constitution“. Many opposition leaders were “personally attacked“, the Congress leader thundered and said “some are still in jail“.
The reference seemed to be to Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, whose AAP is part of the Congress-led INDIA opposition bloc. Mr Kejriwal is in Delhi’s Tihar Jail over his arrest in the liquor policy case.
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“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,” Mr Gandhi said. He also displayed images of Guru Nanak Dev – for which he was admonished by Speaker Om Birla – and flagged a commonality in their most popular poses – the outward-facing right hand, which is also the Congress’s symbol.
“Darao mat… daro mat… (don’t scare, don’t be scared),” Mr Gandhi asserted, referring to the ‘abhaya mudra‘ – which teaches one to dispel fear – and identical lessons he said are taught by all religions.
“The ‘abhaya mudra‘ is the symbol of the Congress… it is the gesture of safety, which dispels fear and accords divine protection in Hinduism, Islam, Sikhism, Buddhism and other Indian religions…” he said.
Amit Shah React
After the Prime Minister’s terse rebuttal – to which Mr Gandhi shouted “Modi ji, BJP, and RSS is not the entire Hindu community” – Mr Shah took the lead.
“Leader of the Opposition =said those who call themselves Hindu talk of violence. He doesn’t know crores proudly call themselves Hindu… connecting violence with any religion is wrong,” he declared.
“Rahul Gandhi must apologise,” Amit Shah shouted.
The Home Minister also invoked the Emergency imposed by Congress stalwart and former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, which is often used by the BJP to attack its rival, and the anti-Sikh riots of 1984.
“Rahul Gandhi must apologise for his remarks painting all Hindus as violent,” Mr Shah declared.
“First Day, Worst Show”
BJP chief JP Nadda, after facing fractious moments of his own in the Rajya Sabha, took aim at Rahul Gandhi with a series of posts on X, in which he accused the Congress leader of having “blatantly lied“.
“First day, worst show!
Lies + Hindu hatred = Rahul Gandhi Ji in Parliament.
Third-time fail LoP has a knack for agitated, flawed logic. His speech today has shown that neither has he understood the mandate of 2024 (his third successive loss) nor does he have any humility.”
“Rahul Gandhi must immediately apologise to all Hindus for terming them ‘violent’. This is the same person who was telling foreign diplomats Hindus are terrorists. Intrinsic hate to Hindus must stop.”
“Leader of the Opposition is now a five-time MP but has not learnt Parliamentary norms and does not understand civility. Time and again he reduces the levels of discourse. His utterances towards the Chair today were in very poor taste. He owes and apology…” Mr Nadda raged.
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Rajya Sabha Rumble
The chaos and commotion were not limited to the Lok Sabha alone; the Rajya Sabha also experienced its fair share of uproar. Led by Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge, the opposition clashed with Mr. Nadda on various issues. The focus of contention included alleged irregularities in the NEET medical entrance tests and the dispute over the relocation of national leader’s statues within the Parliament complex.
Mr. Kharge’s verbal attacks emerged against a backdrop of frequent complaints from the Congress and other opposition parties. They have raised concerns, both in this session and previous ones, about being denied the opportunity to speak, criticize, or question the government during Parliament proceedings. This has resulted in an ongoing tussle between the ruling party and the opposition, hindering productive discussions and exchanges of ideas.
