The red colour of the copy of the Indian Constitution carried by Rahul Gandhi at a political event in poll-bound Maharashtra on Wednesday, triggered a verbal duel between the BJP and the Congress. The red colour is often associated with communism.
At a campaign rally in Maharashtra's Sangli district, deputy chief minister and BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis accused the Congress MP of building a coalition of anarchists.
"What message did Rahul Gandhi want to give by showing a red copy of the Constitution of India?" he said.
The Congress sharply reacted to Fadnavis' attack, saying that the red colour is also linked to Hinduism.
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Maharashtra Congress chief Nana Patole said the BJP was rattled by Rahul Gandhi's event "near its stronghold" in Nagpur.
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"Fadnavis, in his nervousness, is making false allegations to defame Rahul Gandhi. In Hinduism, red is considered auspicious, yet the BJP finds it impure. Those who oppose the Constitution have no right to decide whether a copy of the Constitution should be red, yellow or black. Do the BJP and Fadnavis equate saving the Constitution with urban Naxalism?" he said.
{{/usCountry}}"Fadnavis, in his nervousness, is making false allegations to defame Rahul Gandhi. In Hinduism, red is considered auspicious, yet the BJP finds it impure. Those who oppose the Constitution have no right to decide whether a copy of the Constitution should be red, yellow or black. Do the BJP and Fadnavis equate saving the Constitution with urban Naxalism?" he said.
{{/usCountry}}Rahul Gandhi today campaigned for the Congress-NCP(SP)-Shiv Sena (UBT) alliance in Maharashtra. He displayed the red-coloured copy of the Constitution at the event.
"If the BJP considers Left-leaning individuals anti-national, then Kerala has a Leftist government, West Bengal was ruled by the Left for years, and there are still Leftist legislators and Members of Parliament. Does that make those who vote for them anti-national? If the BJP feels so, Fadnavis should take action as they (BJP) are in power at the Centre. Who gave the BJP the authority to issue certificates of patriotism or anti-nationalism?" Patole asked.
Voting in Maharashtra will take place on November 20. The results will be announced on November 23.
With inputs from PTI