Rahul Gandhi's Lok Sabha speech prompts ire of Modi, Shah who seek apology for his Hindu remarks

Newly appointed Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi of Congress party took on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) at the Lok Sabha during his address on Monday.

The Congress leader said that BJP and RSS, who call themselves followers of Hindu religion, speak of violence and 'asatya'.

Gandhi's tirade against the government also prompted Modi's intervention twice who accused the former of calling the 'entire' Hindu society violent. "This is a serious issue," Modi said. The second time around, Modi said that the Constitution of India taught him to take the LoP seriously.


Amit Shah called for an apology from Gandhi.


Gandhi clarified that BJP and Modi are not representatives of the entire Hindu society.

"The PM says that (Mahatma) Gandhi is dead and Gandhi was revived by a movie. Can you understand the ignorance?… Another thing I noticed is that it is not just one religion that talks about courage. All religions talk about courage," he said.

Top quotes from Rahul Gandhi's Parliament Speech:

1. I was attacked on orders of PM Modi; there were 20 plus cases, house was taken away, 55 hours of interrogation by ED
2. All religions talk about courage; cites Islam, Sikhism to underline one should be fearless
3. Hinduism is not about spreading fear, hatred and falsehoods
4. If you look at Lord Shiva's image you would know that Hindus can never spread fear, hatred but BJP spreads fear, hatred 24X7
5. There has been a systematic and a full-scale assault on the idea of India, the Constitution and on the people who resisted the attack on Constitution
6. Anyone who resisted the idea of concentration of power & wealth, aggression on poor & Dalits and minorities was crushed
7. The BJP, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) or Modi are not the entire Hindu society.

During his speech, Gandhi showed a picture of Lord Shiva, which prompted Speaker Om Birla to remind him that rules do not allow displaying placards in the House.

Gandhi reiterated that all religions, including Islam and Sikhism, emphasise courage and the importance of being fearless.