Union ministers slam Rahul for 'appeasement politics', 'denigrating' position of LoP
Sitharaman was reacting to Rahul's speech, in which he had taken a swipe at the BJP, saying those who call themselves Hindus only talk about violence, hatred and falsehood
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Monday said Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's appeasement politics starts and ends with Hindu hate, and all the members of the Opposition alliance follow his language.
Sitharaman said this in response to a statement by Rahul, who is the leader of the opposition in the Lok Sabha.
While participating in the discussion on a Motion of Thanks on the President's address, Rahul took a swipe at the BJP, saying those who call themselves Hindus are engaged in "violence and hate" round the clock, drawing massive protests from the members of the treasury benches, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi asserting that calling the entire Hindu society violent is a serious matter.
Rahul, however, retorted that he was speaking about the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The BJP, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) or Modi are not the entire Hindu society, he added.
"Sheer audacity of LoP @RahulGandhi to call everyone who calls himself Hindu as "hinsak"/violent shows @INCIndia's hatred and contempt towards Hindus. Also consistent with Hindu hate of his INDI Alliance partners. Hypocrisy in claiming "Mohabbat ki Dukaan" exposed," Sitharaman said in a post on X.
In another post, Sitharaman said, "Only right that @PMOIndia intervened in the debate and voiced his concern on the insensitivity of LoP's remarks. @INCIndia and @RahulGandhi's appeasement politics starts and ends with Hindu hate. No wonder his partners in INDI Alliance also follow his language".
‘Irresponsible speech’
Union ministers Ashwini Vaishnaw and Kiren Rijiju also accused Rahul Gandhi of denigrating the responsible position of the Leader of Opposition with his "extremely irresponsible" speech in the Lok Sabha.
They also accused Rahul of inflicting "grave insult" on the Hindus by allegedly linking them with violence and spreading untruth.
Rijiju said the ruling BJP has challenged many of the claims made by Rahul in his speech in the Lok Sabha and has sought action from the Speaker. He will have to substantiate or tender an apology, the Parliamentary Affairs Minister said, slamming his allegations on Agnipath Scheme and compensation for the residents of Ayodhya during development projects there.
Over Rs 1,253 crore compensation was given to local shopkeepers and others, and they were helped in relocation, Vaishnaw said.
(With agency inputs)