Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Monday stopped his speech for a while as a mark of respect for azaan – the Islamic call to prayer – that was being offered at a mosque close to the venue of his public rally in Tumakuru in poll-bound Karnataka.
Tumkur: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi addresses a public meeting ahead of the upcoming Karnataka Assembly elections, in Tumkur district, Monday, May 1, 2023. (PTI Photo)
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In a video shared by news agency ANI, senior Congress leader KC Venugopal can be seen tapping Gandhi's back, after which the ex-party president looks at Venugopal and nods, and halts his speech.
“…so I told you that the government's responsibility towards people is that…” says Gandhi before Venugopal taps the former's back, and the address is halted. The azaan, meanwhile, can be heard in the background.
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At one point, the recently disqualified MP also puts a finger on his mouth, asking some Congress supporters who were raising a slogan, to keep quiet.
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At one point, the recently disqualified MP also puts a finger on his mouth, asking some Congress supporters who were raising a slogan, to keep quiet.
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On several instances in the past, prime minister Narendra Modi, too, has stopped his speeches during azaan. Recently, however, KS Eshwarappa, a senior leader of the Karnataka unit of PM Modi's BJP, made a controversialremark on this Islamic call to prayer.
Karnataka, the only state in south India where the BJP has been in power, will poll on May 10, and votes will be counted three days later. While the saffron party is aiming to retain the state, the Congress is eyeing a return to power.
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