Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi sharply criticised the ruling BJP in a speech delivered in the Lok Sabha on Monday, claiming that Hinduism is not about disseminating lies, fear, or hatred.
During a debate on the Motion of Thanks to the President’s Address to a Joint Session of Parliament, he made these comments.
During Gandhi’s address, Prime Minister Narendra Modi interrupted and said it is a serious matter to refer to all of Hindu society as aggressive.
“The BJP and the RSS are not the entire Hindu society,” Gandhi shot back.
Union minister Amit Shah sought an apology from Rahul Gandhi following the incident, which took place during a verbal sparring match between the MPs of the ruling NDA and the opposition.
To retaliate against Gandhi, Shah brought up the Emergency and the anti-Sikh riots of 1984, claiming that Gandhi had no right to advocate for nonviolence given that the Congress had instilled “terror” throughout the nation.
The Congress politician went on to highlight that courage is a theme in all major religions, naming Sikhism, Buddhism, Christianity, Islam, and Jainism as examples of faiths that value bravery.
He pointed out that millions of people have rejected the policies put forth by the ruling party and accused the BJP of conducting methodical attacks on the Constitution and the core principles of India.
“I was attacked on the orders of Prime Minister Modi. There were 20-plus cases (against me), (my) house was taken away, 55 hours of interrogation by the ED,” Gandhi said.
Despite these challenges, the MP from Rae Bareli expressed pride in the collective effort to protect the Constitution.
“It feels nice that BJP people are now repeating ‘Jai samvidhan’ after me,” he said. Gandhi also expressed his contentment at being in the opposition.
“I am happy and proud to be in the opposition. For us, there is something more than power, it is the truth,” he said.
During his speech, Gandhi showed a picture of Lord Shiva, which prompted Speaker Om Birla to remind him that rules do not allow displaying placards in the House.
Gandhi reaffirmed that courage and the value of being fearless are important to all religions, including Sikhism and Islam.
Regarding the Agnipath issue, the Leader of the Opposition, Gandhi, also criticised the government, claiming that Agniveer is ‘use-and-throw labour’ for the BJP administration.
Additionally, he said that PM Modi, not the military forces, is the creator of the Agnipath Scheme.
Rahul Gandhi was interrupted by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, who told him that he was misleading the House about agniveers.
Rahul Gandhi added that the prime minister has not yet travelled to Manipur, a state plagued by violence. “Politics, policies of BJP have burnt down Manipur, pushed it into civil war,” he stated.
Rahul Gandhi further charged that the administration was preventing the NEET debate from happening.
“NEET is not a professional exam, it’s a commercial exam; it is designed to suit rich students. Truth is NEET students do not believe in the exam, they think it’s designed for rich students and not the meritorious, ” Rahul Gandhi said.
“NEET students spend years and years preparing for their exams. Their families support them financially and emotionally, and the truth is that NEET students today do not believe in the exam because they are convinced that the exam is designed for the rich and not for meritorious people,” he said.
“I have met with several NEET students. Every single one of them tells me that the exam is designed to create a quota for rich people and a passage for them into the system. It is not designed to help poor students,” Gandhi claimed.
