Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely to respond on Tuesday evening to the debate on the Motion of Thanks on the President's address. The debate had commenced on Monday morning, which saw Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi give a fiery speech, wherein he took a dig at the BJP, stating those who call themselves Hindus are engaged in "violence and hate" round the clock.
The debate on the Motion of Thanks could not begin on Friday due to repeated disruptions caused by the opposition over the NEET exam paper leak issue.
The Prime Minister's reply is widely anticipated as Rahul's bold speech on Monday generated political heat, with the BJP accused him of 'Hindu hatred and lies'. The Congress, however, clapped back at the BJP, stating that it was distorting Rahul's speech and that the party shouldn't forget that "2/3 of the Hindus voted against it."
In his speech in the Lok Sabha on Monday, Rahul took a dig at the BJP, stating those who call themselves Hindus are engaged in "violence and hate" round the clock. His remarks drew massive protests from the members of the treasury benches, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi who said "calling the entire Hindu community violent is a very serious charge."
Many BJP leaders, including Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, rallied against Rahul's remarks, calling him to apologise for "hurting" not just the community but the "soul of Mother India". He also accused the Congress leader of defaming UP and Ayodhya.
The RSS too slammed Rahul Gandhi for his "not Hindus" jibe at the ruling BJP, stating it was "unfortunate" that the leader of the opposition linked Hindutva with violence. RSS functionary Sunil Ambekar said people occupying important positions linking Hindutva with violence is unfortunate." "Whether it is the Hindutva of (Swami) Vivekananda or (Mahatma) Gandhi, it is a symbol of harmony and brotherhood," he added.
Union ministers Ashwini Vaishnaw and Kiren Rijiju accused Gandhi of denigrating the responsible position with his "extremely irresponsible" speech in the Lok Sabha. They also accused Gandhi of inflicting "grave insult" on the Hindus by allegedly linking them with violence and spreading untruth.
However, the Congress hit back at the BJP for "distorting" the speech, saying the ruling party will not be able to sell falsehoods and will have to answer on issues such as the medical entrance exam NEET and Agniveer.
Congress' media and publicity department head Pawan Khera said two-third Hindus had voted against the BJP and asserted they are Hindus but know that "you are not Hindu".
Khera also took a swipe at BJP, asking it to "shut down its IT cell as the people were not falling prey to the "misinformation" spread by it. "Shut the IT cell and save money, you will need it as soon you will have to sit in the opposition, not many years, not many months are left," Khera said.
