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'Bharat Jodo with Bharat Todo icons?' BJP questions Rahul Gandhi's 'Jesus' video; 'Congress says, 'Morbid'
BJP spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla shared a video of Rahul Gandhi interacting with Father George Ponnaiah and questioned why Rahul Gandhi met ‘Bharat Todo’ icons during his Bharat Jodo Yatra.
The BJP on Saturday stirred a fresh controversy over Rahul Gandhi's Bharat Jodo Yatra raising questions over a video of Gandhi interacting with Father George Ponnaiah. "This man was arrested for his Hindu hatred earlier -- he also said 'I wear shoes because impurities of Bharat Mata should not contaminate us'. Bharat Jodo with Bharat Todo icons?" BJP spokesperson Shehzad Poonawala tweeted posting the video of the interaction. Also Read: Satya Pal Malik’s unusual praise for Rahul Gandhi, then swipe at Centre
“It's Rahul Gandhi's Nafrat Jodo Abhiyan. Today they have made a person like George Ponnaiah the poster boy of Bharat Jodo Yatra who challenged, threatened Hindus and said inappropriate things about Bharat Mata. Congress has a long history of being anti-Hindu,” Poonawalla said to ANI.
“If meeting a controversial pastor, who is known for his visceral disdain for the majority community and their beliefs, Rahul Gandhi’s idea of “Bharat Jodo”, then this Yatra is nothing but a sham. How can indulging faith supremacists serve the larger society and bring cohesion?” BJP's Amit Malviya tweeted.
BJP's Sambit Patra asked whether denouncing one religion for the appeasement of the other is ‘Bharat Jodo’. “This ‘Hindu Hatred’ of the Congress in general & Rahul in particular is no more a clandestine affair …Rahul wears it on his sleeves with pride! ‘Bharat-Todo’ indeed by Rahul Gandhi!” he tweeted.
In the video, Rahul Gandhi can be seen discussing Jesus Christ and whether Christ was the real God or a form of God. "He is a real God revealed as a human person. Not like Shakti," Father George Ponnaiah then said. Also Read | BJP's ‘Bharat, dekho’ dig at Rahul Gandhi over his t-shirt; Congress hits back
Bharat Jodo Yatra began on September 7 from Kanyakumari amid flak from the BJP which questioned the need for the march and asked the Congress to unite the party first. After the march began, the containers for the night stay of the Congress leaders and the Burberry t-shirt of Rahul Gandhi became the bone of contention between the BJP and the Congress, before Saturday's attacks based on the George Ponnaiah video.
Who is Father George Ponnaiah? A catholic priest Ponnaiah was arrested in 2021 for his alleged comments against PM Modi, Union home minister Amit Shah and some DMK leaders.
In the wake of the new controversy, Jairam Ramesh tweeted that people who were responsible for the killing of Mahatma Gandhi and the murders of people like Narendra Dabholkar, Govind Pansare, MM Kalburgi and Gauri Lankesh are raising questions. "What a morbid joke! Such attempts to damage the spirit of Bharat Jodo Yatra will fail miserably," Jairam Ramesh tweeted.
"An atrocious tweet from the BJP hate factory is doing the rounds. It bears no relation whatsoever to what is recorded in the audio. This is typical BJP mischief that has become more desperate after the successful launch of #BharatJodoYatra which is evoking such a huge response," Jairam Ramesh added.
