Mangaluru (Karnataka): Bharatiya Janata Party MLA Bharath Shetty sparked controversy, saying that Lok Sabha Leader of the Opposition (LoP) and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi should be "slapped" for his alleged anti-Hindu remarks.
Addressing a protest march in Mangaluru on Monday, a BJP MLA said that the Congress leaders who call themselves Hindus 'only talk about violence, hatred and lies'.
"He follows anti-Hindu policy. If you look at his statement, it is clear that he is a big madman. He should have slapped Rahul Gandhi on the cheek inside the Parliament," he said.
He further attacked Rahul Gandhi for holding a picture of the Hindu god Shiva, and said, "He calls Hindus violent. Madman does not know that if Lord Shiva opened his third eye, he (LoP) would turn into ashes."
Bharatiya Janata Party MLA alleged that Rahul Gandhi changed his stance based on the region he visits and claimed, "When he comes to Gujarat, LoP Rahul Gandhi becomes an ardent devotee of Lord Shiva. When he goes to Tamil Nadu he becomes an atheist, when he goes to Kerala he becomes secular."
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He further commented on Rahul Gandhi's performance in the Lok Sabha elections and said that "After getting only 99 Lok Sabha seats in the general election, LoP Rahul Gandhi is claiming to have made a great achievement."
After Rahul Gandhi's maiden speech triggered political outrage, several portions of his address targeting the central government were expunged from the records of Parliament on Monday.
In his speech in Lok Sabha, during the debate on the Motion of Thanks on President Droupadi Murmu's address, Rahul Gandhi accused the BJP and RSS of preaching and spreading violence and hatred.
He also called the Hindu symbol 'Abhayamudra' which gestures fearlessness, reassurance and safety, as the symbol of the Congress party.
"Abhayamudra is the symbol of Congress...The Abhayamudra is the gesture of fearlessness, is the gesture of reassurance and safety, which dispels fear and accords divine protection and bliss in Hinduism, Islam, Sikhism, Buddhism and other Indian religions...All our great men have spoken about non-violence and finishing fear...But, those who call themselves Hindu only talk about violence, hatred, untruth...Aap Hindu ho hi nahi," the Congress leader said.
—ANI