Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister and BJP leader Mohan Yadav on Tuesday said Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge “should talk to Rahul Gandhi” about resigning (as the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha) over his speech in the Lower House of Parliament on Monday.
“Many Congress leaders have expressed their disagreement with Rahul Gandhi’s views. Senior Congress leader from our Madhya Pradesh, Lakshman Singhji, is among them,” he said, referring to the reaction of former Chief Minister Digvijaya Singh’s brother to Mr. Gandhi’s remarks.
“I believe that Khargeji should seek the details about this [the remarks] and talk to Rahul Gandhiji about [his] resignation,” the Chief Minister told reporters.
Speaking in the Lok Sabha on Monday, Mr. Gandhi held a picture of Lord Shiva and said, “Shivji says daro mat, darao mat [don’t fear, don’t cause fear], shows the abhay mudra, talks about ahimsa [non-violence], but those who call themselves Hindus, indulge in hatred, violence and untruths round the clock.”
An insult, says BJP
Mr. Gandhi’s remarks have drawn sharp reactions from the ruling BJP, accusing the Congress leader of “insulting Hindus”.
Mr. Lakshman Singh, a former MP from Madhya Pradesh’s Rajgarh, took to X (formerly Twitter) on Monday and said: “The comments made on ‘Hindus’ in Parliament are indecent and unnecessary. It would be appropriate to raise only and only issues related to the people and the country.”
On the other hand, his brother and Congress veteran Digvijaya Singh came out in support of Mr. Gandhi on Tuesday, asking if anything in his speech was “anti-Hindu”.
“Do listen to the views of Rahulji. Is there even a single word in this that is anti-Hindu? Yes, we say this [that] the BJP, RSS, VHP and the Bajrang Dal are not the only contractors of our Hinduism. We only request them to leave the path of hatred, violence and untruth, and adopt the path of peace, love, harmony, truth and non-violence. Satyameva Jayate,” said Mr. Digvijaya Singh.
The State Assembly, which is currently under way, also witnessed a ruckus after BJP MLA Sitasharan Sharma demanded an apology from Mr. Gandhi.
Mr. Sharma’s statements led to sloganeering by both the ruling BJP as well as the Opposition Congress MLAs, prompting Assembly Speaker Narendra Singh Tomar to adjourn the House for 15 minutes.
