'You are not Hindu': In maiden speech as LoP, Rahul stings BJP

Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi launched a no-holds-barred attack on the Bharatiya Janata Party in the Lok Sabha on Monday, saying the leaders of the ruling party are not Hindus as they engage in "violence and hate" round the clock, drawing massive protests from the treasury benches, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi accusing the Congress leader of calling the entire Hindu community violent.

Gandhi, however, hit back at Modi, saying he was speaking about the BJP and neither the ruling party nor the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) nor Modi represents the entire Hindu society.

Besides Modi, who intervened twice, at least five cabinet ministers also interjected during Gandhi's speech that lasted for about an hour and 40 minutes, with Home Minister Amit Shah demanding his apology for painting the Hindu community as violent.

"It is not just one religion that talks about courage. In fact, all our religions talk about courage," Gandhi said in his debut speech as the leader of opposition in the Lok Sabha that was watched by his mother Sonia Gandhi and sister Priyanka Gandhi Vadra from the visitors' gallery.

Gandhi quoted Prophet Mohammed to highlight that the Quran also talks about fearlessness and said when our hands are raised for "dua", the "abhay mudra" can also be observed in a way.

Holding up pictures of Lord Shiva, Guru Nanak and Jesus Christ, he referred to Hinduism, Islam, Sikhism, Christianity, Buddhism and Jainism to underline the importance of fearlessness. He also cited the attributes of Lord Shiva and teachings of Guru Nanak, Jesus Christ, Buddha and Mahavir to state that all religions and great people of the country have said, "Daro mat, darao mat (do not be scared, do not scare others)".

"Shivji says daro mat, darao mat, shows the abhay mudra (the right hand held upright with the palm facing outwards), talks about ahimsa, but those who call themselves Hindus indulge in hatred, violence and untruths round the clock," Gandhi said, pointing towards the BJP MPs.

As the treasury-bench members stood up in protest, Gandhi slammed the BJP, saying, "Aap Hindu ho hi nahi (you are not Hindus). It is clearly written in Hinduism that one should stand with the truth and not back down from the truth or be scared of it," he said.

Intervening during his speech, Modi said, "This issue is very serious. Calling the entire Hindu community violent is a serious issue."

Gandhi said he is talking about the BJP and the ruling party is not the sole representative of Hinduism.

"Yeh theka nahi hai BJP ka," he said.

Shah sought the Congress leader's apology to the house and the country for hurting the feelings of crores of people who take pride in identifying themselves as Hindus.

He said the ruckus created by the opposition cannot drown the fact that the words -- "those who call themselves Hindus indulge in violence" -- were used in the House.

Shah spoke of the Emergency and 1984 anti-Sikhs riots to hit back at Gandhi, saying he has no right to talk about non-violence when the Congress had spread "ideological terror" in the country.

In a swipe at Gandhi for alleging that ministers do not greet him due to the fear of Modi, the prime minister said democracy and the Constitution have taught him to take the leader of opposition seriously.

Gandhi accused the BJP of launching "systematic attacks" on the Constitution and the fundamental idea of India, noting that millions of people have resisted the ideas proposed by the ruling party.

"I was attacked on the orders of Prime Minister Modi and the government. There were 20-plus cases (against me), a two-year jail sentence, (my) house was taken away, 55 hours of interrogation by the ED," he said.

As Gandhi held up a picture of Lord Shiva, Speaker Om Birla reminded him that rules do not allow displaying placards in the House.

The Congress leader also accused the BJP of threatening minorities and spreading hatred and violence against Muslims, Sikhs and Christians.

He said minorities represent India in all spheres and bring pride to the nation. "They stand like a rock with the country and are patriots, but you (BJP) attack them," he said.

Referring to the Agnipath scheme for short-term military recruitment, Gandhi said the government regards the Agniveers as "use-and-throw labourers" and does not even give them the status of a "shaheed" (martyr).

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh intervened to rebut Gandhi's charge and said an Agniveer who lays down his life in the line of duty gets a compensation of Rs 1 crore.

"This house is not for spreading lies. Rahul Gandhi should apologise to the House, to the country and to Agniveers," Shah said.

Gandhi claimed that the armed forces know that Agnipath was Modi's brainchild, prompting Singh to accuse the leader of opposition of misleading the House.

"If we come to power, we will scrap the Agnipath scheme as it is against jawans, the armed forces and deshbhakts (patriots)," Gandhi said.

He also hit out at the Centre over the situation in Manipur, alleging that it has pushed the northeastern state into a civil war.

The former Congress chief also slammed the government over farmers' issues, saying it did not want to give a legal guarantee on the minimum support price (MSP) for crops.

Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan objected to Gandhi's remarks and accused him of "misleading" the house. Union ministers Kiren Rijiju and Bhupender Yadav also intervened at different points of Gandhi's speech.

Later, Information and Broadcasting Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, along with Rijiju and BJP leader Sudhanshu Trivedi, held a press conference to rebut Gandhi's allegations.

Referring to a row involving medical entrance exam NEET, Gandhi said students do not believe in the exam because they feel that it is for the rich people and there is no place in it for meritorious students.

Talking about his new role as the leader of opposition, Gandhi said his job is to represent all parties equally with love and affection.

"So when Hemant Soren or (Arvind) Kejriwal goes to jail, I should be concerned. When you unleash enforcement agencies on them, we should defend them. When you are a constitutional person, your personal aspirations should take a back seat," he said.

In his concluding remarks, Gandhi asked the ruling party not to spread fear or hatred in the minds of people.

"Do not think of the opposition as your enemies. We are ready to discuss any issue that you bring before us. I congratulate you for winning 240 seats," he said.