Congress MP Rahul Gandhi's unbridled speech in Lok Sabha on Monday sparked sharp reactions by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), in the House when Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah and other bigwigs of the Saffron party took turns to stand and counter him, and even outside when the BJP leaders took to social media to respond.
Taking one for the team, Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi launched a no-holds-barred attack on the BJP in the Lok Sabha on Monday, accusing the leaders of the ruling BJP of dividing people on communal lines, drawing massive protests from the treasury benches.
Rahul Gandhi conveyed in his speech that those who resort to violence are not flagbearers of Hinduism as the religion underlines the importance of fearlessness. This prompted Prime Minister Narendra Modi to get up to slam Rahul Gandhi for calling the "entire Hindu community" violent, after which the Congress leader's now-viral comeback "Narendra Modi is not the entire Hindu community" triggered uproar in the House and outside it.
Rahul Gandhi Lok Sabha Speech | Top Points
PM Modi Intervenes Twice In Rahul's Speech: Besides PM Modi, who intervened twice, at least five cabinet ministers interjected during Rahul Gandhi's Lok Sabha speech on Monday that lasted for about an hour and 40 minutes, with Home Minister Amit Shah demanding an apology from him.
What Rahul Said On Religion, Hinduism: Citing the attributes of Lord Shiva and teachings of Guru Nanak, Jesus Christ, Buddha, and Mahavir to state that all religions and great people of the country have said "daro mat, darao mat [do not be scared, do not scare others]", Rahul Gandhi referred to Hinduism, Islam, Sikhism, Christianity, Buddhism and Jainism to underline the importance of fearlessness. Rahul Gandhi also held up pictures of Lord Shiva, Guru Nanak, and Jesus Christ, after which Speaker Om Birla reminded him that rules do not allow displaying placards in the House.
Did Rahul Call Entire Hindu Community Violent? Pointing Towards BJP MPs, Rahul Gandhi said in Lok Sabha on Monday, "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."
Watch Lok Sabha Ruckus: Rahul Gandhi's 'Not Hindus' Remark Raises Heat, Modi Intervenes
Rahul Gandhi's Comeback To PM Modi: As the treasury-bench members stood up in protest, Rahul Gandhi slammed the BJP, saying, "Aap Hindu ho hi nahi [You are not Hindus]. 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. Intervening during his speech, Modi said, "This issue is very serious. Calling the entire Hindu community violent is a serious issue." Rahul Gandhi said he is talking about the BJP and the ruling party is not the sole representative of Hinduism.
'Parmatma Speaks To Modi Ji's Aatma Directly': Going further, Rahul Gandhi said the idea of non-violence was used when India fought the British and was putforth by Mahatma Gandhi, adding that the Prime Minister, "who has a direct connection with god, speaks directly to god... the parmatma speaks to Modi ji's aatma directly, unlike with all humans... we are all biological, we are born, we die, but Prime Minister is a non-biological being and the Prime Minister said Gandhi is dead... and Gandhi was revived by a movie... can you understand the ignorance..." Rahul Gandhi was referring to a remark by PM Modi in an interview with a TV channel during the Lok Sabha polls where he said he believes he is convinced he is not biologically born and was sent by godsent.
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Parts Of Rahul Gandhi's Speech Expunged: Unsurprisingly, some parts of Rahul Gandhi speech got expunged from Parliament proceedings, including his accusations on the BJP, stating that the party is treating minorities unfairly, his remarks on industrialists Gautam Adani and Mukesh Ambani, his statement that the NEET exam is for rich people and there is no place in it for meritorious students, and that the Agniveer Scheme is not of the Indian Army, but of the PMO (Prime Minister's Office).
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On Tuesday, reacting to reports of portion of his Lok Sabha speech being expunged and Rahul Gandhi said: "The truth can be expunged in Modiji's world, but not in reality. Whatever I had to say, I said. I spoke the truth and they can expunge whatever they want. Truth will always remain a truth."
Rahul On Manipur. Farmers' Issue: The Congress leader also hit out at the Centre over the situation in Manipur, alleging that it has pushed the northeastern state into a civil war. He slammed the government over farmers' issues, saying it did not want to give a legal guarantee on the minimum support price (MSP) for crops. Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan objected to Gandhi's remarks and accused him of "misleading" the House. Union ministers Kiren Rijiju and Bhupender Yadav also intervened at different points of Gandhi's speech.
Opposition Not Your Enemy, Says Rahul: Talking about his new role as the leader of opposition, Rahul Gandhi said his job is to represent all parties equally with love and affection. "So when Hemant Soren or [Arvind] Kejriwal goes to jail, I should be concerned. When you unleash enforcement agencies on them, we should defend them. When you are a constitutional person, your personal aspirations should take a back seat," he said. In his concluding remarks, Gandhi asked the ruling party not to spread fear or hatred. "Do not think of the opposition as your enemies... We are ready to discuss anything you want to. Let us work together to take the country forward," he said.
Rahul's Speech Irks BJP: Multiple top leaders of BJP, including party president JP Nadda, later took to microblogging platform X to hit back at Rahul Gandhi over statements he made in his speech. While JP Nadda called Rahul Gandhi's first speech as LoP 'First day, worst show', External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar also accused him of "attacking Hindus."
Later, in a post in Hindi on X, Rahul Gandhi said, "Narendra Modi has been running the 'reign of fear' for 10 years! By taking control of all the agencies, institutions and the media, the BJP has only worked to spread fear in every section of the society."
Rahul Gandhi Urges Speaker To Restore Expunged Remarks: In a letter to Speaker Om Birla seeking the restoration of expunged parts from his Lok Sabha speech, Rahul Gandhi said on Tuesday, "While I Chair dereives powers to expunge certain remarks from the proceedings of the House but the stipulation is only those kind of words, the nature of which have been specified in Rule 380 of the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in Lok Sabha." Rahul Gandhi said that he was "shocked to note the manner in which considerable portion" of his speech "have been simply taken off from the proceedings under the garb of expunction." READ FULL STORY
