Manas Dasgupta
NEW DELHI, July 8: Amidst the accusation by the BJP calling the Congress leader and the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi “childish” and “anti-Hindu,” the 46th Shankaracharya of Jyotir Math Swami Avimukteshwarananda has come out in support of his combative speech in Parliament that the ruling party claimed was insulting to the entire Hindu community.
His speech in Parliament while participating in the debate on the Motion of Thanks to the President for her address to the Joint Houses had sparked a controversy when he accused the BJP leaders of allegedly dividing people on communal lines.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, denouncing the speech, had said Rahul Gandhi had branded the “entire Hindu community as violent.” This accusation ignited a heated exchange in Parliament, leading to the Speaker striking off several “contentious” statements from the records.
The Shankaracharya, a respected figure among Hindus, offered a different perspective. “We listened attentively to Rahul Gandhi’s entire speech. He unequivocally emphasizes that Hinduism rejects violence,” the Shankaracharya said.
A video that has gone viral on social media showed the pontiff also criticising, what he called, “the selective dissemination” of Mr Gandhi’s speech urging accountability for those who distort facts. “Presenting only fragments of Gandhi’s statement is misleading and unethical,” he remarked, adding that those responsible should be punished.
Congress general secretary and Rahul Gandhi’s sister, Priyanka Gandhi, has also defended her brother against the allegations. “Rahul can never speak against Hindus. His remarks were directed at BJP and its leaders,” she said.
The BJP leaders have also attacked Rahul Gandhi for his remarks on the Ram Janmabhoomi movement led by BJP veteran Lal Krishna Advani. Doubling down on Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s “childish mind” jab at Mr Gandhi, BJP veteran and Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan described him as “bal buddhi” (childish) and accused him of “spreading confusion and lies.”
“Rahul Gandhi is a childish person who has not matured yet. He has not yet become the Leader of the Opposition properly. He says we (INDIA bloc) defeated the Ram Janmabhoomi movement. Rahul ji, Ram is our existence, our ideal, our life, our God, and Ram is the identity of India,” Mr Chouhan told reporters.
Referring to the Ram Janmabhoomi movement, he said, “This movement has thrown the Congress out of power many times and paved the way for the construction of a divine and grand temple, but Rahul Gandhi only lies.” Mr Chouhan also accused Mr Gandhi of lying in Parliament about Agniveer martyrs and the government of not providing Minimum Support Price to agricultural produces.
“He (Rahul) knows nothing else other than lying and spreading confusion. That is why this ‘Bal Buddhi’ person Rahul Gandhi keeps saying anything that comes to his mind. No one understands how he was able to defeat the (Ram Mandir) movement. “Just saying whatever comes to mind has become the tendency of the Congress. Under his (Rahul Gandhi) leadership, the Congress will invite only misfortune,” he added.
BJP leaders have been infantilising Mr Gandhi and saying he has a “childish mind” after Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s “balak buddhi” jab at the Congress MP, now Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha.
The remarks in question were made by the Congress leader during his visit to Ahmedabad. He was speaking about the victory in Faizabad Lok Sabha seat — of which Ayodhya is a part – of Congress ally Samajwadi Party.
“By defeating the BJP in Ayodhya, INDIA bloc has defeated the Ram Mandir movement that was launched by the BJP veteran Lal Krishna Advani. What I am saying is something very big… Congress party and INDIA bloc defeated them in Ayodhya,” Mr Gandhi had said.
The Rath Yatra was launched by Mr Advani to shore up support for the construction of a temple at the site in Ayodhya believed to be the birthplace of Lord Ram. The yatra was taken out in 1990 and multiple communal clashes were reported along its route. Two years later, the 16th century Babri Masjid located at the Ayodhya site was demolished by Hindu activists who believed it was built on the ruins of an ancient temple to mark Ram’s birthplace. Nearly three decades later, a Supreme Court ruling paved the way for a construction of a Ram Temple at the site.
With the BJP playing up the Ram temple construction in its election campaign, the Faizabad election was keenly watched, and the BJP’s defeat there was a key talking point on result day.
Mr Gandhi’s remarks also drew criticism from Chirag Paswan, Union Minister and leader of BJP’s ally Lok Janshakti Party (Ramvilas). Responding to the Congress leader’s remarks, he said, “if they think Ayodhya’s win is big for them, then we are also analysing our mistakes and working towards it. They couldn’t even cross the mark of 100+ seats in Lok Sabha and are claiming big things, I think their pride won’t stay for long. In upcoming days, there are elections in various states, the results will show how strong NDA is.”
Meanwhile, Rahul Gandhi on Monday visited relief camps in Manipur’s Jiribam and Churachandpur districts and interacted with the inmates. People displaced by the ethnic violence in the north-eastern State, which claimed over 200 lives since May last year, are staying in those relief camps.
Mr Gandhi, who is accompanied by senior Congress leaders, is visiting Manipur for the first time after the Congress won both Lok Sabha seats in the state. “His third visit to Manipur post-violence shows his unwavering commitment to the people’s cause,” the Congress said in a post on X. Mr Gandhi first visited Manipur weeks after ethnic violence broke out in Manipur on May 3 last year. He also began his ‘Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra’ from the state in January 2024.
The former Congress president first visited a relief camp set up at Jiribam Higher Secondary School. State Congress president Keisham Meghachandra told reporters that the inmates at Jiribam told Gandhi about the experiences they went through. “He also enquired about what they need. One girl told Gandhi that neither the Prime Minister nor the chief minister had come to visit them. She also urged Gandhi to place the matter in Parliament,” Mr Meghachandra said.
People came out in thousands to greet Mr Gandhi in Jiribam and many of them wept while talking to him, the state Congress president said. From Jiribam, Mr Gandhi came to Imphal airport via Silchar in Assam and reached by road a relief camp in Tuibong village in Churachandpur district. There also he interacted with inmates.