Congress MP Rahul Gandhi launched a scathing attack against the ruling BJP on Monday, telling the Lok Sabha that Hinduism was ‘not about spreading fear, hatred and falsehoods’. The Leader of Opposition also accused the BJP of launching systematic attacks on the Constitution and the fundamental idea of India.
The LoP engaged in a war of words with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday after claiming that those who call themselves Hindus are engaged in “violence and hate” round the clock. The remark had prompted a sharp rebuttal from the NDA with Modi noting that it was a ‘serious matter’ to call the entire Hindu society violent.
Opposition leaders also staged a walkout after seeking sought a clear assurance from the government on the NEET issue. They demanded a separate one-day discussion on the paper leak matter during the ongoing Lok Sabha session.
Highlights from his address
- “It is not just one religion that talks about courage. In fact, all our religions talk about courage…Shivji says daro mat, darao mat, shows the abhay mudra (the right hand held upright with the palm facing outwards), talks about ahimsa, but those who call themselves Hindus indulge in hatred, violence and untruths round the clock,”Gandhi said while pointing towards the BJP MPs.
- Gandhi countered protests from the treasury-bench members by insisting that they were ‘not Hindus’. He also responded to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s objections by saying that he was talking about the BJP and that the ruling party was not the sole representative of Hinduism.
“It is clearly written in Hinduism that one should stand with the truth and not back down from the truth or be scared of it,” he said. - “I was attacked on orders of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. There were 20 plus cases, house was taken away…55 hours of interrogation by ED,” Gandhi recalled.
- He insisted that the country had come together to protect the Constitution during the recent polls.
“It feels nice that BJP people now repeating ‘Jai samvidhan’ after me,” he added. - Gandhi said that he was “happy and proud” to be a part of the Opposition.
“For us there is something more than power…it is truth,’ he added. - “We wanted a one day discussion on NEET. It is an important issue. More than two crore students have been affected. Paper leaks have happened on 70 occasions. We would be happy if you allow a separate discussion on the issue. We can send a message from Parliament to the students that the issue of NEET is very important for us,” Gandhi said.
(With inputs from agencies)
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