Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday hit back after a portion of his speech related to Hindus, RSS, and Modi was expunged. "In Modi ji's world, truth can be expunged," Gandhi said while speaking to reporters. "But in reality, the truth can't be expunged. I said what I had to say, that is the truth. They can expunge as much as they want. Truth is truth."
Gandhi on Monday launched a no-holds-barred attack on the BJP, saying the leaders of the ruling party were not Hindus as they engaged in "violence and hate". His remarks drew massive protests from the treasury benches, with PM Modi accusing Gandhi of calling the entire Hindu community violent. Gandhi, however, responded, saying he was speaking about the BJP and neither the ruling party nor the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) nor Modi represents the entire Hindu society.
Besides Modi, at least five cabinet ministers also interjected during Gandhi's speech which lasted for about an hour and 40 minutes, with Home Minister Amit Shah demanding his apology for painting the Hindu community as violent. "It is not just one religion that talks about courage. All our religions talk about courage," Gandhi said in his debut speech as the leader of the opposition in the Lok Sabha.
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 the 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, shows the abhay mudra (the right hand held upright with the palm facing outwards), talks about ahimsa, but those who call themselves Hindus indulge in hatred, violence, and untruths round the clock," Gandhi said, pointing towards the BJP MPs. 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.
Intervening during his speech, Modi said, "This issue is very serious. Calling the entire Hindu community violent is a serious issue." Gandhi said he is talking about the BJP and the ruling party is not the sole representative of Hinduism. "Ye theka nahi hai BJP ka," he said. Shah sought the Congress leader's apology to the House and the country for hurting the feelings of crores of people who take pride in identifying themselves as Hindus.
(With inputs from PTI)