The country will not forget for centuries Congress MP Rahul Gandhi’s attempt to insult and make false accusations about Hinduism, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Tuesday during his reply to the Motion of Thanks to the President’s address in the Lok Sabha.
He made the remarks in reference to the leader of Opposition’s speech in the Lower House on Monday. Gandhi had accused the Bharatiya Janata Party of propagating hatred and violence against minorities. His remarks have been expunged from Parliament records.
Gandhi had alleged that BJP leaders claim to be Hindus, but only talk of violence and hatred. BJP leaders, however, claimed that the Congress leader had described the entire Hindu community as violent.
The leader of Opposition, during his speech, held up images of Shiva, Guru Nanak and Jesus Christ, and said that all religions speak about fearlessness and non-violence.
On Tuesday, Modi said that use of images of religious deities for political gains will not be forgiven by the country.
“God’s every form is for solemn viewing and not for display,” Modi said. “The insult of our deities has hurt the sentiments of 1.4 billion people of the country.”
He added that after the visuals of Lok Sabha session from Monday, Hindu society would now have to think if such humiliation was a coincidence or preparation for “some experiment”.
“It was said that Hindus are violent,” Modi alleged. “Are these your values? Is this your character? Is this your hatred for Hindus of this country? This country will not forget this for centuries. These are people who tried to coin the phrase Hindu terror. Their allies compare Hinduism with dengue, malaria, etc. and these people clap.”
The prime minister was referring to remarks made by Dravida Munnetra Kazhgam leader Udhyanidhi Stalin.
At a press conference in Chennai on September 2, Udhayanidhi Stalin, who is the son of Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam chief MK Stalin, had said that Sanatana Dharmawas akin to dengue and malaria. Hence, he added, it should be annihilated.
Sanatana Dharma is a term some people use as a synonym for Hinduism.
“Their entire ecosystem wants to look down upon, abuse and insult Hinduism,” Modi said on Tuesday.
The prime minister also said that those who “dance with the Constitution” did not dare to apply it in Kashmir.
“People who now dance with the Constitution did not dare to apply it there [Kashmir],” Modi said. “Security forces were stoned. People said nothing could happen. After abrogation of Article 370, stone throwing is over. People are trusting the Constitution, flag and democracy of India and voting in large numbers.”
While Modi made his speech, the Opposition staged protests and trooped into the Well of the House, demanding justice for ethnic unrest in Manipur that began in May last year.
‘Congress has become parasitic’, says PM
Prime Minister Modi said that the Congress has won seats in the Lok Sabha on the back of its allies.
“Congress and its ecosystem trying to impress upon people that they have defeated us,” he said. “It has become parasitic party after 2014 and eats up the votes of its allies.”
Modi noted that the Congress won only 99 seats in the election, and questioned why it was celebrating the outcome. He also said that the Opposition party could not win any seats in 13 states.
Referring to irregularities in the National Eligibility-Cum-Entrance Test, the prime minister said that those who played with the future of young people would not be spared.
“There have been arrests across the country,” Modi said. “We have already made a strict law on this. To strengthen the exam system, necessary steps are being taken.”
Limited-time offer: Big stories, small price. Keep independent media alive. Become a Scroll member today!
Our journalism is for everyone. But you can get special privileges by buying an annual Scroll Membership. Sign up today!