Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan
Credit: PTI Photo
Bhopal: Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Sunday described Rahul Gandhi as "bal buddhi" (childish) and accused him of spreading confusion and lies, remarks coming in response to the opposition leader's recent statement about defeating the Ram Mandir movement.
"Rahul Gandhi is a childish person who has not matured yet. He has not yet become the leader of the opposition properly. He says we (the India bloc) defeated the Ram Janmabhoomi movement. Rahul ji, Ram is our existence, our ideal, our life, our God, and Ram is the identity of India," Chouhan told reporters after attending the BJP state working committee meeting in Bhopal.
During a Congress workers' meeting in Gujarat on Saturday, Rahul Gandhi claimed that by trouncing the BJP in Ayodhya, the INDIA bloc had defeated the Ram Mandir movement initiated by L K Advani.
Responding to a query, Chouhan mocked Rahul Gandhi's statement, asserting that India cannot be known without Lord Ram.
"This movement has thrown the Congress out of power many times and paved the way for the construction of a divine and grand temple, but Rahul Gandhi only lies," Chouhan said.
He accused Gandhi of lying in Parliament about Agniveer martyrs and the government of not providing a Minimum Support Price (MSP).
"He (Rahul) knows nothing else other than lying and spreading confusion. That is why this 'Bal Buddhi' person Rahul Gandhi keeps saying anything that comes to his mind. No one understands how he was able to defeat the (Ram Mandir) movement.
"Just saying whatever comes to mind has become the tendency of the Congress. Under his (Rahul Gandhi) leadership, the Congress will invite only misfortune," Chouhan added.
During his visit to Ahmedabad, Gandhi had also claimed that the Congress would defeat the BJP in its stronghold of Gujarat (in the 2027 assembly polls), just as the BJP candidate was defeated in Ayodhya.
In the recent Lok Sabha elections, Samajwadi Party's Awadhesh Prasad defeated BJP candidate Lallu Singh from the Faizabad seat, which includes the Ayodhya assembly segment.