A day after defence minister Rajnath Singh attacked Congress leader Rahul Gandhi accusing him of defaming India by saying there is hatred in the country, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi today said through his Bharat Jodo Yatra he is spreading only love and affection and he hasn’t hatred for anyone.
He said those accusing him of defaming India should look at the western press to realize “how the hatred and violence that Mr Rajnath Singh’s party is spreading damages the country.”
“If you look at all the newspapers abroad and you must spend time doing it, you will find they are all asking the question what has happened to India’s traditional values, what has happened to India’s brotherhood, what has happened to India’s strength under the current government,” Rahul Gandhi said when asked that Rajnath Singh has accused him of defaming the country through his statements.
“So the defamation is done by the ideology of the BJP and the RSS,” the Congress leader said while talking to the reporters in Jammu.
“I can see how the hatred and violence that Mr Rajnath Singh’s party is spreading damages the country. I can see how dividing India between religions, communities, between castes, between genders is harming the nation and I can also see how it is defaming the nation,” Rahul said.
“I am very respectful to all and I don’t have hatred for anyone. If you have studied the yatra, not once I have stated I have hatred for anyone. This yatra has been about love and affection. Nobody in this yatra has abused or attacked anybody else,” Rahul Gandhi said.
“As for Rajnath’s Singh’s statement is concerned I don’t understand how padyatra across the country, that is uniting people of India, that is bringing people of India together, that is spreading love and affection between people of India, is harming interest of people of India. I don’t understand it,” the Congress leader said.
On Sunday Rajnath Singh said India is being defamed by those who say that there is hatred in the country. The defence Minister while criticising Rahul Gandhi who has been arguing that Bharat Jodo Yatra is aimed at tackling the "politics of hate" said India is being defamed by saying there is hatred in the country.
The Congress leader said the views expressed by the defence minister are not his own.
“I would be surprised if these were his actual views. Rajnath Singh operates in a party where what he has to say is told to him by the top. I don’t think he has a choice in the matter. So it is nice that Mr Rajnath Singh has expressed his opinion, I think it is something he has done as a result of orders from the top,” Rahul Gandhi said.
