Photo Credit -Sipra Das /New Delhi 1st July 2024 /Parliament
BJP Senior Leader & Union Ministers Shri Ashwini Vaishnaw, Shri Kiren Rijiju and BJP National Spokesperson & MP Dr. Sudhanshu Trivedi addressed a joint press conference, in the Parliament library, on Monday. Shri Vaishnaw said that the most concerning issue is that Rahul Gandhi has labeled the entire Hindu community as violent and untruthful, deeply insulting them. Shri Rijiju stressed that Parliament operates on rules and decorum, not on any individual leader or family. Dr. Trivedi highlighted that Rahul Gandhi has significantly degraded the standards of parliamentary democracy. He also found the display of Bhagwan Shiv’s images in Parliament highly objectionable.
Shri Vaishnaw stated that the most concerning issue is that Rahul Gandhi has labeled the entire Hindu community as violent and untruthful, deeply insulting them. This is not the first time, it is a longstanding practice of the Congress party. In 2010, the then Home Minister P. Chidambaram called Hindus as terrorists and in 2013, the then Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde again referred to Hindus as terrorists. In 2021, Rahul Gandhi expressed that Hindutva followers should be expelled from the country. And today, Rahul has called the entire Hindu community violent and intolerant.
Union Minister Shri Vaishnaw stated that Rahul Gandhi has today lowered the dignity of the Leader of the Opposition position and dragged politics to a deplorable level. The entire country is saddened by Rahul’s statement and no amount of condemnation is enough. Calling Hindus violent and intolerant, displaying images of Gods during a parliamentary debate and linking it to politics is not appropriate behavior for the Leader of the Opposition in any way.
Shri Vaishnaw emphasized that in the Indian parliamentary system, leaders like Late Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Shri LK Advani and Late Sushma Swaraj have dignified the role of Leader of Opposition. Rahul Gandhi has taken on responsibility for the first time. Throughout his life, Rahul Gandhi has enjoyed wielding power but never took responsibility. Despite assuming responsibility now, Rahul Gandhi has made extremely irresponsible statements today that need to be addressed.
Union Minister Shri Vaishnaw highlighted that when Rahul Gandhi stated that martyrs in Agniveer are not compensated, nothing could be farther from the truth. Today, during Rahul Gandhi’s speech in the House, Hon’ble Union Defence Minister clearly affirmed that martyrs in Agniveer receive a compensation of one crore rupees. There are case studies supporting this. Rahul Gandhi should first review the facts before raising questions. Congress has raised questions about the military multiple times before, attempting to mislead the nation.
Shri Vaishnaw expressed deep concern over Rahul Gandhi’s recent remarks criticizing the constitutional position of the esteemed Speaker, describing them as highly objectionable and distressing. This is not an isolated incident. Previously, Rahul Gandhi publicly tore down his own government’s ordinance at the Press Club. During the UPA government, Sonia Gandhi effectively operated a parallel constitutional framework through the National Advisory Council, undermining the established constitutional roles of the Prime Minister. This reflects a longstanding pattern in the Congress party of weakening constitutional institutions. Indira Gandhi also significantly undermined constitutional institutions, particularly emphasizing a compliant judiciary. She systematically weakened all constitutional bodies, including Parliament, the judiciary and the bureaucracy.
Union Minister Shri Ashwini Vaishnaw remarked that how will Rahul Gandhi understand the conduct according to Indian culture when his understanding of culture itself is questionable. Today, Rahul Gandhi has made a significant insult to a constitutional position. Shri Vaishnaw highlighted that Rahul Gandhi also discussed the issue of compensation in Ayodhya. The Uttar Pradesh government has already provided clear details about the compensation, which are available to everyone. Compensation totaling ₹1253 crores has been given to approximately 4215 affected shopkeepers. Furthermore, the administration has worked transparently and in collaboration with the public to relocate and properly restore the shops.
Union Minister Shri Kiren Rijiju stated that the special session of Parliament has commenced properly today, with 16 hours allotted for the discussion on the motion of thanks to the President’s address. Tomorrow, Hon’ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi Ji will respond to the motion of thanks to the President’s address in the Lok Sabha. Since 2004, when Rahul Gandhi held no official position, his behavior often seemed theatrical. Now that Rahul Gandhi is the Leader of the Opposition and holds a constitutional position, it was hoped he will bring positive changes with maturity in his conduct and behavior.
Shri Rijiju remarked that today, when Rahul Gandhi began speaking as Leader of the Opposition, Hon’ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi Ji was present as he always attends speeches by the LoP. Rahul Gandhi’s behavior observed during his speech today has left everyone dismayed. Despite repeated instructions from the Hon’ble Speaker’s chair to speak logically and not turn away, Rahul continued to address his MPs while facing away from the Speaker, disregarding the rules. His inability to heed instructions suggests a need to improve his listening skills. This decline in the standard of debate has never been witnessed before.
Union Minister Shri Rijiju mentioned that Late Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Lal Krishna Advani ji, Late George Fernandes and Late Pranab Mukherjee were sources of great learning for new MPs. However, with Rahul Gandhi as the Leader of the Opposition, there is hardly anything left for new MPs to learn. New MPs learn from senior members during their first session, but 282 new MPs did not find the right environment in their initial session. Rahul Gandhi has significantly diminished the standards of parliamentary democracy. Parliament operates based on rules and ethics, not on any specific leader or family. Rahul Gandhi speaks about shutting down the microphone and dismissing MPs, but he did not utter a word about the Hon’ble President’s speech. After the President’s speech, thanks are sent to her, but Rahul Gandhi did not say a word for this formality. Senior leaders of the Congress should educate Rahul Gandhi and explain to him not to diminish the parliamentary dignity of India.
BJP National Spkesperson & MP Dr. Sudhanshu Trivedi stated that on January 20, 2013, the then Home Minister and Leader of the House in Lok Sabha, Sushil Kumar Shinde, had remarked in Jaipur about violent activities and training camps being conducted by BJP and RSS. When questioned about this on the floor of the house on February 20, 2013, Sushil Kumar Shinde expressed regret. Drawing a parallel, Dr. Trivedi suggested that Rahul Gandhi should also express regret. Rahul Gandhi’s statements are not only an insult to the Hindu community but also discredit his own previous administration.
Dr. Trivedi emphasized that making inflammatory remarks has become habitual for Rahul Gandhi, who allegedly referred to the entire Hindu community as violent. He cited instances such as the Karnataka Congress working president and current PWD Minister, Satish Jarkiholi, calling the term ‘Hindu’ a hooligan and George Punea’s controversial statement during the Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra about wearing shoes to avoid touching the soil of India. “Eradication of Sanatan Dharm” conference by coalition parties as evidence of a deliberate mindset.
BJP National Spkesperson Dr. Trivedi criticized Rahul Gandhi for inappropriately displaying an image of Bhagwan Shiv and mentioning “Abhaya Mudra” (a gesture of fearlessness) in Islam, questioning where he found such an image since Islam prohibits pictorial representations. While showing Bhagwan Shiv’s image, Rahul Gandhi stated he was not afraid of Hindu Dharm, even though Bhagwan Shiv and Mata Shakti are considered one in Hindu belief. Referencing the Ramcharitmanas, which describes Bhagwan Shiv as eternally accompanied by Shakti. Dr. Trivedi also criticized Rahul Gandhi for mentioning various religions but failing to take an oath in the name of God in Parliament. He contrasted this with 2014, when Rahul Gandhi took an oath in Hindi in the name of God, questioning what had changed from 2014 to 2024 for him to revert to “Solemnly Affirm” and then display images of God in the House. Rahul Gandhi should seriously reconsider his actions and behavior and he should learn from BJP leaders like Late Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Shri L.K. Advani and Late Smt Sushma Swaraj.
News Mania Desk /Photo Credit -Sipra Das (National Consulting Photo Editor)
1st July 2024 , New Delhi/ News Credit:bjp.org
