Agartala (Tripura) [India], July 3 : Tripura BJP president Rajib Bhattacharjee has slammed Congress for "attacking Hindus again and again" and demanded an apology from Rahul Gandhi.
"He (Rahul Gandhi) should learn something from the senior leaders of the party and then speak in the Parliament. A discussion was being held (in Lok Sabha) over the President's address. Congress is attacking the Hindus again and again. This is Congress' old-style and we condemn it. Rahul Gandhi should apologise," Bhattacharjee told ANI.
Rahul Gandhi's maiden speech in the Lok Sabha as a Leader of Opposition in the House drew scathing attack from the ruling BJP. Targeting the BJP, the Congress leader said "those who call themselves Hindus indulge in hate and violence round the clock".
This remark on Monday, during the Motion of Thanks to the President for her address to the joint sitting of Parliament, drew an immediate response from the Treasury bench led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
"The issue is a serious one; to call the entire Hindu community violent is serious," PM Modi interjected.
Responding to this, Rahul Gandhi said, "Narendra Modiji is not the entire Hindu community, the BJP is not the entire Hindu community, the RSS is not the entire Hindu community."
However, in his speech in the Lok Sabha on Tuesday, PM Modi continued his attack against Rahul Gandhi for his remarks and for displaying an image of Lord Shiva in the House and alleged that there is a conspiracy to falsely accuse Hindus of being violent.
"Jiske darshan hote hai uske pradarshan nahi hote hai" (the deity who is worshipped and sought, their depiction is not used to gain publicity). Today, there is a conspiracy to falsely accuse Hindus, a serious conspiracy is unfolding. It has been said that Hindus are violent. This is your culture, this is your character, this is your thinking, this is your hatred. These are the actions against Hindus in this country. This country will not forget it for centuries," he said.
"They had announced the destruction of the concept of 'Shakti' in Hindus. Which power you are talking about that you want to destroy? This country has been a devotee of 'Shakti' for centuries. Bengal worships Mother Durga. Are you speaking against this power? These are the people who tried to coin the term 'Hindu terrorism'. Their associates compared Hinduism to diseases like dengue and malaria. This country will never forgive them. Under a well-thought-out conspiracy, their entire ecosystem has made it fashionable to degrade, insult, and mock Hindu traditions...
"We have been taught since childhood that every form is a manifestation of God. No form of God exists for personal gain. The insult of our gods and goddesses is hurting 1.4 billion people in this country. The country cannot forgive the mockery of the forms of God for personal political gain. Watching the scenes of yesterday's assembly, now Hindu society will have to think whether this is a preparation for some experiment," he added.