Congress leader Rahul Gandhi.
Credit: X/@INCIndia
New Delhi: In the wake of several controversial statements by ruling alliance leaders targeting Rahul Gandhi, the Congress on Monday said "hate-filled minions" making such remarks were the "real terrorists" who belong in jail.
The opposition party alleged that "violent statements" were being made against the leader of opposition in Lok Sabha at the behest of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah with their "complete political patronage".
The opposition party's accusations came after Shiv Sena MLA Sanjay Gaikwad announced that he will give Rs 11 lakh to anyone chopping off Gandhi's tongue for his remarks on scrapping the reservation system. Union minister Ravneet Singh Bittu on Sunday said if those "manufacturing bombs" were supporting Gandhi, he is the "number one terrorist".
Earlier, BJP leader Tarvinder Singh Marvah had purportedly made "threatening" remarks against Gandhi.
Asked about these remarks by leaders of the ruling alliance, Congress spokesperson Supriya Shrinate said there have been multiple incidents of "absolutely disgusting remarks" being made against Gandhi.
"Who is Rahul Gandhi, he is a five-term elected MP, he is the leader of Opposition in India's democracy. How can such statements replete with violence be tolerated? "Why must I not say that if the members of the BJP and their alliance partners are resorting to these violent statements, this is happening at the behest of Narendra Modi and Amit Shah, this has your complete political patronage," Shrinate said at a press conference at the AICC headquarters here.
"Why I must not say that you (Modi and Shah) are the ones asking them to make these statements. Rahul Gandhi cares two hoots about these statements," she added.
she said Gandhi is going to take all it takes to raise the voice of the people, to empower people, to talk about unemployment, high prices, income inequality and actually expose them on the Adani scam.
"He is going to do all it takes to keep the country united, whether it is walking from Kanyakumari to Kashmir or take the journey from Manipur to Mumbai... He does not care but we do. We certainly ask Narendra Modi and Amit Shah as how do these rabid elements make statements like these and get away with it," she added.
In an apparent swipe at Bittu, who joined the BJP ahead of the Lok Sabha polls, Shrinate said the reality is that some of the turncoats who are making these statements are absolutely "shameless" because they have got to prove loyalty to the BJP.
"But guess what, if you were not loyal to us they are not going to trust you there," Shrinate said, adding, "How are these hate-filled minions able to talk like this? These are the real terrorists. Their place is in jail," the Congress leader said.