Lucknow/Chandigarh: Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Monday slammed Rahul Gandhi over his "not Hindus" remark and asked the Congress leader to apologise for "hurting" not just the community but the "soul of Mother India".
Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini also attacked Gandhi over the issue, saying such a language is not acceptable.
In his maiden speech as the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Gandhi triggered a row when he said the leaders of the ruling party are not Hindus as they engage in "violence and hate" round the clock.
His remarks drew massive protests from the members of the treasury benches, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi accusing Gandhi of calling the entire Hindu community violent.
In a post on X in Hindi, Adityanath said, "Hindu is the soul of India. "Hindu is synonymous with tolerance, generosity and gratitude. We are proud that we are Hindus!" "How will the 'prince' of the group that calls itself 'accidental Hindus' and which is indulged in politics of Muslim appeasement, understand this? You should apologise to crores of Hindus of the world, Rahul ji! Today you have not hurt a community but the soul of Mother India," he said.
Later, speaking to reporters in Lucknow, Adityanath said that Gandhi made the remarks to defame UP and Ayodhya.
"Rahul's false statement given in the House is extremely condemnable and shameful," he said.
Attacking Gandhi, Haryana Chief Minister Saini said, "Calling a particular religion violent and hateful from the sacred platform of Parliament not only tarnishes the dignity of Parliament but also promotes religious hatred".
Rahul Gandhi, while holding the post of Leader of Opposition, has committed this misdeed which is not in accordance with dignity, Saini posted in Hindi on X.
"This language of insulting the majority of the country's population by calling them violent is not acceptable. In the democratic system, the public has been giving answers to the Congress party and will definitely punish it for this heinous crime," he said.
"...Hindu society is neither violent nor hateful but is definitely conscious of cultural nationalism under the leadership of Prime Minister Shri @narendramodi," he Saini added.
UP CM Adityanath said that "everyone knows who has deprived Ayodhya of its identity".
"Today, when Ayodhya is re-establishing its glory and attracting the entire world, how can the Congress consider it as good? The Congress is a bundle of lies," he said.
Terming Gandhi's statement on compensation to people in Ayodhya as wrong, the chief minister said the truth is that Rs 1,733 crore has been made available to the people of Ayodhya only for compensation.
Be it Rampath, Bhaktipath, Janmabhoomi Path or airport, those whose land, shops, and houses were included in these projects have been given compensation, he said.
The state government also built multi-level shopping complexes for those whose establishments were razed for development, he added.
In its fiery speech, Gandhi launched a sharp attack on the ruling BJP, asserting that Hinduism is not about spreading fear, hatred and falsehoods.
His remarks came during a discussion on the Motion of Thanks to the President's address to a joint sitting of Parliament.
Modi intervened during Gandhi's speech and said calling the entire Hindu society violent was a serious issue. However, Gandhi retorted, saying that "the BJP and the RSS are not the entire Hindu society".
The Congress leader further emphasised that all religions talk about courage, citing Islam, Christianity, Buddhism, Jainism and Sikhism to underline the importance of fearlessness.