Team Herald
NEW DELHI: The Bhartiya Jnata Party on Thursday sought an apology from Congress President Rahul Gandhi for denigrating India on the foreign soil and describing violence against women in the country as a ‘cultural issue’.
BJP spokesman Sambit Patra accused Rahul of presenting the country in bad light with issues of “wider and dangerous ramifications”.
“You tried to justify terrorism. You tried to justify IS. There can be nothing more ignominious and perturbing than this. It is very sad. You call yourself a leader of the country. You are a parliamentarian and you mock India from a foreign soil, comparing the govt with the IS.
“You are giving an excuse for ISIS. This is a mockery of our minorities. You have tried to denigrate the minorities of the great country. You have questioned them. Your submission that if jobs are not available for minorities of the country, they will sell their soul to an alternative idea of IS, which is deplorable and for which you have to explain to the country. We cannot forgive you,” Patra said.
He said it was the frustration of Rahul that is coming out in the face of a success story of India under the leadership of PM Modi.
“This is a democratic country. You can always speak about the policies of the government anywhere in this world but for God’s sake don’t denigrate the country. When you speak against the culture of this great country and when you give justification to terrorism, it is a serious issue. You should come out and clarify,” he said.
Patra referred to Rahul’s criticism of the government by citing the example of IS to say that exclusion of a large number of people from the development process could lead to the creation of terrorist groups in the country. Rahul had said that the US while invading Iraq, had stopped a tribe, Tikriti network, from getting government and army jobs and later the tribe linked up with other groups. He referred to incidents of lynching and attacks on Dalits, saying people in India were angry and the ruling alliance was weakening “support structures” meant for the weaker sections.
The BJP spokesman asserted that Rahul had painted a false picture of the country while the truth is that the Modi government has strengthened the structures meant for the weaker sections. “You have false estimate of India and its potential. You are saying that India’s role will remain only to balance between US and the China. Is this what is your estimate for India? Is this what you estimate the potential of 125 crore Indians?”
On Rahul’s charge of spurt in violence in the country and his stress on the Indian men need to change their attitude towards women, Patra said: “On women’s safety issue you blamed the Indian culture. You could have blamed some mindset but how can you blame the Indian culture for it.
“You have tried to denigrate the Indian culture. This country accepted Sonia Gandhi, who headed the Congress party for 19 long years and remained proxy prime minister for 10 years. Both Sonia and Rahul Gandhi should come out and speak. How can they speak against India’s great culture?”
