‘Concerning’: BJP attacks Rahul Gandhi for saying ‘hinsa, hathya’ in Parliament
BJP spokesperson Sudhanshu Trivedi referred to an article by a former IPS officer, emphasising that political rhetoric can sometimes lead to violence.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Thursday accused the Congress of frequently using inflammatory language against Prime Minister Narendra Modi, stating that words like 'death' and 'violence' should not be used when targeting political opponents.
BJP spokesperson Sudhanshu Trivedi referred to an article by a former IPS officer, emphasising that political rhetoric can sometimes lead to violence, citing the assassination of former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and the recent attempt on Donald Trump's life.
Trivedi said that Congress leader Rahul Gandhi used words like "violence" and "murder" in Parliament. He also mentioned that Gandhi had dismissed an incident of something being thrown at Modi's convoy during a campaign as a sign of people losing their fear of the prime minister.
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Speaking on the issue, Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said to ANI, "In public life, choice of words is very important. The kind of words that are being chosen by the Opposition for PM Modi, is very concerning. The usage of words like 'Hinsa' and 'Hatya' produce a direct result, it creates an unnecessary tension in society. Just like a (retired) IPS wrote today, it has a psychological impact as it promotes violent behaviour. Opposition should not use such words, should uphold its political dignity and maintain seriousness and control in their words."
Trivedi noted that Modi's security was compromised in Punjab under Congress rule, contrasting it with the strong security provided to Gandhi in sensitive regions like Kashmir and Manipur. He also pointed out that someone who had talked about harming Modi was now a Congress MP, and recalled Sonia Gandhi's "maut ka saudagar" (merchant of death) comment about Modi in 2007 when he was Gujarat's chief minister.
Trivedi added that Rahul Gandhi, as Leader of the Opposition, should speak responsibly. He said that anyone failing to do so was unfit for politics.
Referring to the Ishrat Jahan encounter, Trivedi mentioned that the CBI, which reports to the central government, altered its initial affidavit that labelled her a terrorist for political reasons, as she was targeting Modi.