advertisement
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday, 8 June said that 'fringe' is the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)'s core while highlighting past statements made by senior BJP leaders holding some of the top positions in the government.
In a tweet, Gandhi said, "'Fringe' is BJP's core," along with headlines of news reports on statements by several BJP leaders such as Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, Minister of Information and Broadcasting Anurag Thakur, and Bhopal MP Sadhvi Pragya.
The government has distanced itself from the comments made by members of their own party. The Ministry of External Affairs said that statements by some individuals do not represent those of the government.
The image tweeted by Gandhi shows media reports on a statement by Shah calling Bangladeshi migrants “termites” and Yogi Adityanath when he said that "women not capable of being left free or independent."
The image further quoted Anurag Thakur during the protests against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) and National Register of Citizens (NRC) where he said “desh ke gaddaron ko, goli maaro sa***n ko” (shoot the traitors of the country).
The image also quoted Sadhvi Pragya when she called Nathuram Godse, Mahatma Gandhi’s assassin, a “deshbhakt” (patriot).
The Congress has asked why the country should apologise and face the consequences of the "misdeeds" of the BJP leaders.
Gandhi recently took a jab at the BJP government and said that the saffron party's "shameful bigotry" had damaged India's standing globally.
He tweeted, "Divided internally, India becomes weak externally. BJP's shameful bigotry has not only isolated us, but also damaged India's standing globally."
During a TV prime-time show, Nupur Sharma made controversial comments about Prophet Muhammad that resulted in protests in several parts of the country and now, condemnation on a global stage.
Following her expulsion, Sharma stated, “I have been attending TV debates for the past many days where our Mahadev was being insulted and disrespected continuously. It was mockingly being said that it is not Shivling but a fountain. The Shivling was also being ridiculed by comparing it to roadside signs and poles in Delhi.”
The Congress alleged that the Indian embassy has been used for the BJP and questioned the silence of the prime minister on the issue. Party spokesperson Pawan Khera, addressing a press conference on Wednesday, attacked the government on the issue.
"This government has failed to win the confidence of every community, thanks to selective silence and selective outrage," Khera said.
Meanwhile, violence broke out in Uttar Pradesh's Kanpur, injuring at least six, on 3 June, during a shutdown observed by Muslims protesting against Sharma's comments against Prophet Muhammad.
(With inputs from PTI.)
(At The Quint, we question everything. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member today.)