Adityanath's dig at Rahul: 'Accidental Hindu' should talk about Mughal atrocities

Lucknow, Apr 29 (PTI) Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath took potshots at Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Monday, saying the leader who had called himself an "accidental Hindu" should talk about great Hindu kings and the destruction of temples in Ayodhya, Kashi and Mathura by Mughal emperors.

On the Congress's objection over the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA), Adityanath said it is an issue of humanity and alleged that the opposition party's protest is due to "pressure" from "radical elements".

Gandhi makes "baseless" comments because he does not have proper knowledge of India's history and geography, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader told reporters here.

"Rahul Gandhi remains in discussion because of his baseless comments," he said.

"The one who had called himself an accidental Hindu will sound funny if he talks about India's history and culture," Adityanath added, taking a dig at the former Congress chief.

While delivering speeches, Gandhi should have mentioned great Hindu rulers, such as Chandragupta Maurya, Ashoka, Maharaja Bhoj, Prithviraj Chauhan, Chhatrapati Shivaji and Jhansi ki Rani, among others, who contributed in the making of India, he said.

Adityanath further claimed that Gandhi has forgotten about the "atrocities" committed by Mughal emperors in the medieval period.

"He should have said who was responsible for destroying temples in Ayodhya, Kashi and Mathura," the chief minister said, adding that the Congress leader should also make references to those responsible for causing destruction in the Nalanda and Takshila universities in the past. PTI