Reacting to Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi’s remarks on “Sikhs,” the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on September 10, challenged the Congress leader to repeat in India what he said about the Sikhs in Virginia and said that then they will file a case against the Leader of Opposition and drag him to the court.
BJP leader RP Singh on September 10 slammed Rahul Gandhi and said that 3000 Sikhs were massacred in Delhi and this happened when Congress was in power.
“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,” RP Singh said.
Union Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan reminded Rahul Gandhi of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and said that when Atal Bihari Vajpayee was the Leader of Opposition, he never tried to malign the image of the country.
“Rahul Gandhi is the Leader of Opposition and the position of Leader of Opposition is a responsible position. I want to remind Rahul Gandhi that when Atal Bihari Vajpayee was the Leader of Opposition, 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,” Chouhan said.
BJP MP Praveen Khandelwal reacted to Rahul Gandhi’s statement and said that the people who are involved in corruption, scams and misusing the resources of the country get scared.
“Who gets scared? Only those who are involved in corruption, scams and misusing the resources of the country get scared; they should get scared. But there is not even one person in the country who can say that he is scared of PM Narendra Modi. Rahul Gandhi is saying this because PM Modi’s popularity is rising among the people. Rahul Gandhi can’t stand this. That is why, he is building the narrative of an atmosphere of fear. This is wrong and misleading. A LoP should not make such irresponsible statements on a foreign land,” Khandelwal said.
BJP national spokesperson Pradeep Bhandari, 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,” Bhandari said.
“Rahul Gandhi is a double-digit party, they only pit people against each other. He enjoys it when India is harmed, therefore, he goes out and bats for China and lies about India. Today, the opposition is not constructive, it can even harm India for its political benefit. People are fearful of such an opposition. They are alert that they (the opposition) can float any conspiracy against the country,” he added.
Earlier on September 9 in Virginia, the Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha 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 Bharatiya Janata Party (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, even among small and medium-sized businesses. But, nothing worked. The fear vanished in one second. 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 US, arrived in Dallas on September 8. He interacted with students and teachers at the University of Texas and also addressed the members of the Indian diaspora in Dallas and Virginia.
(with inputs from ANI)
