New Delhi: Firebrand BJP MP Sambit Patra on Monday hit out at Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi's remarks that ruling party members are "not Hindus as they promote division and violence", and asserted Hindus have never committed violence.
"Today, some people spoke against Sanatan Dharma. It pains me to see the way Hindu traditions are being criticised. I am a Hindu, and I am not violent. Hindus have never committed violence. Today, the DMK criticised Hindus and said they enslave women. Hindus worship women as goddesses, not enslave them," the first-time MP said.
Speaking in Lok Sabha earlier in the day, Gandhi took a swipe at the ruling BJP, saying those who call themselves Hindus are engaged in "violence and hate" round the clock. As the remarks sparked protests by the treasury benches, Gandhi was heard saying, "The BJP and the RSS do not represent all the Hindus... We are also Hindus." Patra also said people are happy that the Modi government has come back to power for a third term.
"We have double happiness: first, our government has been formed, and second, Rahul Gandhi has become the Leader of the Opposition...They (the opposition) are not unhappy that their government wasn't formed; they are happy because we didn't cross 400 seats." Patra highlighted the achievements of the Modi government, and said that for the first time in Indian political history, discussions now revolve around the tangible benefits delivered to the people.
"Today, the narration is about how many toilets have been constructed, how many houses have been delivered to poor people: 12 crore toilets, four crore houses, 13 crore tap water connections under the Jal Jeevan Mission," he said.
"When Modi ji sends 100 paise, the entire 100 paise reaches the poor. No middleman can take a cut," he said.
Patra also touched on the democracy debate, stating, "A lot has been said about democracy today, right from the day of swearing-in. The birthplace of democracy is Jagannath Dham, where democracy was established during the time of Kalinga."
"There is no caste system in Odisha because our king must hold a broom, and this is the greatness of democracy. As long as there are sanatan, democracy will remain," said the Puri MP.