Rahul Gandhi and Narendra Modi in the Lok Sabha.
Credit: PTI Photo
New Delhi: The BJP slammed Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday for allegedly "abusing" Hindus in the Lok Sabha, claiming that he probably did so to please the voters in Kerala's Wayanad, from where his sister Priyanka Gandhi Vadra is set to contest a Lok Sabha bypoll.
At a press conference here, Delhi BJP chief Virendra Sachdeva and Lok Sabha MP Manoj Tiwari said Gandhi should apologise to the country for his "undignified" behaviour in the Lok Sabha and calling Hindus "violent" on Monday.
"Rahul Gandhi has vacated the Wayanad Lok Sabha seat and Priyanka Gandhi has to contest a bypoll from there. He perhaps tried to please the people of Wayanad by abusing Hindus," Sachdeva said.
Wayanad has a sizable number of Muslim voters.
Tiwari alleged that Gandhi showed disrespect to Lord Shiva and Guru Nanak Dev whose photos he showed in the Lok Sabha on Monday and then kept those next to a glass on the table from which he was drinking water.
In his maiden speech as the leader of opposition in the Lok Sabha, Gandhi triggered a row by taking a swipe at the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), saying those who call themselves Hindus are engaged in "violence and hate" round the clock.
His comments drew massive protests from the members of the treasury benches, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi asserting that calling the entire Hindu society violent is a serious matter. Gandhi, however, retorted that he was speaking about the BJP.