Yogi Adityanath, union minister question Rahul Gandhi's 'maturity' after Lok Sabha speech

Reacting to Rahul Gandhi's 'Hindu' remark, Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath on Monday called the Congress leader "immature".

"We thought that Rahul Gandhi would mature after becoming the Leader of the Opposition. But I feel sorry to say that only a person with an immature mind would make such remarks. Hindu is the core society of India and the soul of this country," said Yogi Adityanath.

Rahul Gandhi, speaking in the Lok Sabha, said those who call themselves Hindus are engaged in "violence and hate" round the clock, prompting a massive protest by the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) MPs.

"All religions and all our great men talk about non-violence and fearlessness, but those who call themselves Hindus only talk about violence, hatred and falsehood... Aap Hindu ho hi nahi (You are not Hindus)," he said.

Union parliamentary affairs minister Kiren Rijiju, meanwhile, attacked Gandhi, saying he kept showing Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla his back in violation of the House rules.

Om Birla told Rahul Gandhi to address the Chair, not the other members of the Lok Sabha.

Also read: ‘Can’t insult Hindus’: Priyanka Gandhi defends brother amid BJP's attack

Rijiju said the government was disappointed with the way he spoke in the House.

"The PM will speak in the Lok Sabha tomorrow. We have seen Rahul Gandhi from 2004. Back then, he was not a minister but received a chance to speak in the House. Today he has become the Leader of Opposition and we hoped that he would behave maturely. However, we are disappointed with the way he spoke in the House today. He was asked not to show his back towards the Speaker. He was even told about the rules, but he kept addressing his MPs while showing his back to the Speaker," he said.

Union minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said Rahul Gandhi lied about the Agniveer scheme.

Also read: Rahul Gandhi vs Narendra Modi in Lok Sabha over 'Hindu' remark; Amit Shah demands apology

"He (Rahul Gandhi) made some objectionable remarks in the Parliament today. He said that martyrs won't receive compensation under the Agniveer Scheme. This is a big lie. During Rahul Gandhi's speech, defence minister Rajnath Singh busted this and said that martyrs under the Agniveer Scheme will be given a compensation of ₹1 crore. Congress has always made such remarks against the armed forces and tried to mislead the public," he said.

Union minister Pralhad Joshi said Gandhi revealed the Congress party's anti-Hindu mentality.

"Congress’ anti-Hindu mentality is still there and it has been proved today. The world watched the hatred for Hinduism inside him (Rahul Gandhi)," he added.

During Gandhi's speech, Prime Minister Narendra Modi stood up and said the former's attempt to paint Hindus as violent was a serious matter. Union home minister Amit Shah demanded an apology from the Congress MP.

Union health minister and BJP president, JP Nadda, also lambasted Gandhi, accusing him of combining lies with hatred in his speech.

"Third Time Fail LoP has a knack for agitated, flawed logic. His speech today has shown that neither has he understood the mandate of 2024 (his third successive loss) nor does he have any humility," he said in a post on X.

Meanwhile, Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra said her brother's remark was aimed at the BJP.

"He cannot insult Hindus. He said it very clearly. He talked about the BJP, he talked about BJP leaders," Priyanka Gandhi said.

With inputs from PTI, ANI