Several portions of Lok Sabha LoP Rahul Gandhi's speech in the House on Munday have been expunged after the Congress leader accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of dividing people on communal lines. The portions expunged include his comments on Hindus, and PM Narendra Modi-BJP-RSS among others. In a no-holds-barred attack on the BJP, the leader of Opposition accused the leaders of the ruling party of dividing people on communal lines, drawing massive protests from the treasury benches, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi slamming the Congress leader for calling the entire Hindu community violent.
Besides Modi, who intervened twice, at least five cabinet ministers interjected during Gandhi's speech that lasted for about an hour and 40 minutes, with Home Minister Amit Shah demanding an apology from him.
What Rahul Gandhi said
Holding up pictures of Lord Shiva, Guru Nanak, and Jesus Christ, he referred to Hinduism, Islam, Sikhism, Christianity, Buddhism and Jainism to underline the importance of fearlessness. He also cited 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)". "Shivji says daro mat, darao mat... talks about ahimsa..."
As the treasury bench members stood up in protest, 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. Modi, intervening into his speech, said, "This issue is very serious. Calling the entire Hindu community violent is a serious issue."
