LoP in Lok Sabha and Congress MP Rahul Gandhi addresses the Indian Diaspora, in Washington DC, USA, on September 10, 2024.
| Photo Credit: PTI
Reacting to Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi’s remarks on “Sikhs,” the Bharatiya Janata Party on Tuesday (September 10, 2024) challenged the senior Congress leader to repeat in India what he said about the Sikhs in Virginia and warned that the saffron party will file a case against the LoP.
BJP leader R.P. Singh on Tuesday slammed Mr. Gandhi and said that 3000 Sikhs were massacred in Delhi and it happened when Congress was in power in 1984.
Also read | RSS believes some religions, languages inferior: Rahul Gandhi in U.S.
“3000 Sikhs were massacred in Delhi; their turbans were taken off, their hair was chopped off and beard was shaved…He (Rahul Gandhi) doesn’t say that this happened when they (Congress) were in power…I challenge Rahul Gandhi to repeat in India what he is saying about Sikhs, and then I will file a case against him and will drag him to court,” said Mr. Singh.
Union Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan reminded Mr. Gandhi of former PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee and said that when the late PM was in the Opposition, he never tried to malign the image of the country.
“Rahul Gandhi is the LoP and the position of LoP is a responsible position. I want to remind Rahul Gandhi that when Atal Bihari Vajpayee was the LoP, in a foreign land, he never tried to malign the image of the country. Due to being defeated consecutively for the third time, anti-BJP, anti-RSS and anti-Modi sentiments have taken root in his mind…He is constantly trying to malign the image of the country. Maligning the image of the country is equivalent to treason…Who attacked the Constitution? Who imposed the emergency? He goes on a Bharat Jodo Yatra but he is unable to unite neither with India nor with the people of India,” Mr. Chouhan said.
BJP MP Praveen Khandelwal reacted to Mr. Gandhi’s statement and said that the people who are involved in corruption, scams and misusing the resources of the country get scared.
Also read | We will think of scrapping reservation when India is a fair place: Rahul Gandhi in U.S.
BJP national spokesperson Pradeep Bhandari said the Congress party is scared that their propaganda of lies stands exposed. “Today, if there is fear anywhere, it is within the Congress party. When a woman in Congress talks about casting a couch, she is suspended by the party. All Congress workers are fearful today because its high command is only protecting rapists or standing with a rape-accused alliance. Today, the Congress party is scared that their propaganda of lies stands exposed. People elected PM Modi-led BJP in 2014, 2019 and Modi-led NDA in 2024,” Mr. Bhandari said.
Meanwhile, TMC MP Shatrughan Sinha supported the Congress leader over his remarks on “unemployment” made during his visit to the U.S. and said that the people of the BJP always have problems with him.
“I can present my general opinion and want to say that whether Rahul Gandhi says anything or does Bharat Jodo Yatra, the people of the BJP always have problems with that. I am not the spokesperson of Rahul Gandhi but as a general observer, I can say that whatever Rahul Gandhi has said is right,” Mr. Sinha said.
Earlier on Monday in Virginia, Mr. Gandhi said that fight is about whether a Sikh, is going to be allowed to wear a turban in India and would be able to visit a Gurdwara. “First of all, you have to understand what the fight is about. Fight is not about politics. It is superficial. What is your name? The fight is about whether…he as a Sikh is going to be allowed to wear his turban in India. Or he as a Sikh is going to be allowed to wear a kada in India. Or a Sikh is going to be able to go to Gurdwara. That’s what the fight is about and not just for him, for all religions,” he said.
Further, he continued his tirade against the ruling BJP, claiming that the “fear of Prime Minister Narendra Modi” among people had vanished after Lok Sabha elections 2024 results were declared.”
“Something has changed after the elections. PM Modi tried to create an environment of fear. Various agencies, media, income tax department tried to spread fear. But, nothing worked. The spread of fear took years and consumed a lot of money, but it vanished. You can see it in parliament right upfront… And I can tell you that the idea of PM Modi, 56 inch chest, direct connection with God. That’s all gone. It’s history now. He, his partners in government and India, the three or four senior ministers in his government realise it.” he said.
Rahul Gandhi who is on a visit to the U.S., arrived in Dallas on Sunday. He interacted with students and teachers at the University of Texas and also addressed the members of the Indian diaspora in Dallas and Virginia.
Published – September 10, 2024 01:45 pm IST
