Manohar Lal Khattar
Credit: PTI Photo
Raipur: Union Power Minister Manohar Lal Khattar on Wednesday slammed opposition leader Rahul Gandhi for his recent comments on Hindus, saying had Hindus not been tolerant, it wouldn't have taken 500 years to construct the Ram temple in Ayodhya.
Addressing the Chhattisgarh BJP's executive meeting here, Khattar accused the Congress party of spreading falsehoods due to its fear of the BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
"When no one paid heed to Congress' lies during the Lok Sabha elections, they resorted to defaming Lord Ram and Hindus," Khattar added.
Hindus are among the most tolerant people globally, contrary to Rahul Gandhi's claim that Hindus are violent, he said.
"Had they not been tolerant, it would not have taken 500 years to build Lord Ram's temple (in Ayodhya)," the union minister said.
He highlighted the peaceful abrogation of Article 370 from Jammu and Kashmir by the BJP-led Central government and the cessation of caste and communal riots that used to happen during the Congress rule.
Khattar accused the Congress, which won only 99 Lok Sabha seats, of misleading the public and falsely labelling the newly-elected NDA government as a "minority government."
Taking a dig, he said Congress had failed to secure the opposition party status in Lok Sabha in the previous two elections (2014 and 2019) but considered bagging 99 seats as its victory.
He cited the NDA's success in recent assembly elections across four states and the absence of Congress MPs in 13 states as evidence of Congress's decline.
Khattar also accused the Congress of breaking promises in Chhattisgarh (before the 2018 assembly elections), including a liquor ban and farm loan waiver, and of spreading lies about the BJP's intentions regarding the Constitution and reservations.
"As these lies did not work, the Congress is now calling Hindus violent," the former Haryana chief minister said.
"The opposition knows their agenda and politics of appeasement by spreading caste and communal frenzy will not work till the BJP and Modi are in power," Khattar added.
He urged party leaders and workers to educate people by visiting their homes about the benefits of BJP's public welfare schemes in Chhattisgarh and contribute to the PM's vision of a developed India by 2047.
The meeting saw the attendance of Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai, regional general secretary (organisation) Ajay Jamwal, state BJP Chief Kiran Deo, and other senior party leaders.