Nobody should take Rahul Gandhi seriously: Nitin Gadkari
Nagpur (PTI): Union minister Nitin Gadkari on Sunday said that nobody should take Congress leader Rahul Gandhi seriously, and asserted that people of Maharashtra will repose trust in the BJP-led Mahayuti alliance in the November 20 state assembly elections.
“The way Rahul Gandhi speaks, nobody takes him seriously.. I think people should not take his remarks seriously,” Gadkari said in an interview to PTI.
On Gandhi’s allegations about PM Modi "suffering from memory loss like US President Joe Biden", Gadkari said the Congress leader speaks irresponsibly.
Asked about the challenges faced by the Mahayuti alliance after a dismal show during the Lok Sabha elections, Gadkari said, voters were confused (by the opposition) on a large scale during the Lok Sabha polls.
“A narrative was created that if we win 400-plus seats, we will amend the Constitution drafted by Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar,” the senior BJP leader said.
“There is no question of changing the Constitution. We will neither do it, nor allow others to do it,” Gadkari said.
“Now people have realized that the campaign by the opposition during Lok Sabha polls was based on lies and they have decided to support with positivity the Mahayuti in Maharashtra under PM Modi’s leadership,” Gadkari said.
On BJP talking of development politics, but its leader raising raising slogans like 'batenge toh katenge', Gadkari said, “We are contesting the elections on the plank of development. We are all one. Some go to temple, some to mosque, gurdwara and church. But we are all Bharatiya and the country is above everything else for us,” he said.
On Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar voicing his opposition to Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath's 'batenge toh katenge' remark, indicating a growing rift within the Mahayuti, Gadkari said, “First of all, we are different parties and it is not necessary that we share the same opinion.”
“Media also distorts what is said. This creates misconception. The call for unity was to unite against terrorism and Naxalism,” he said.
Asked about Rahul Gandhi raising the issue of caste census, Gadkari said, “The real issue is about the welfare of villages, the poor and farmers. The poor have no caste and religion. A Muslim gets petrol at the same rate as others.
Asked if would like to become the BJP president, Gadkari said, “I have been the BJP president earlier and don’t have any desire for that post now.”
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Calling political contest ‘vote jihad’ wrong, Hindu society must counter it: Ram temple treasurer
Pune (PTI): Swami Govinddev Giri, the treasurer of Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust, said on Sunday that it was wrong to describe a political fight as “vote jihad”, asserting that the Hindu society must counter it.
His comments come amid Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis’s attacks on “vote jihad” and calls to respond to it with ‘dharma-yudh’.
Speaking to reporters here, the Hindu seer said directions about whom to vote were earlier discretely issued from religious places by distributing pamphlets but slogans like ‘vote jihad’ are now being openly given.
The religious leader said 'jihad' is equivalent to ‘dharma-yudh’.
“Calling a fight between two political parties 'yudh' is not right. But since ‘vote jihad’ is being openly advocated, it must be countered by the Hindu society without hesitation,” he said.
Voting is the right and responsibility of good citizens, said the religious leader from Ayodhya Ram temple.
“Being a true Hindu is pro-humanity, and treating everyone equally like Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj,” he said, adding, “We should tolerate injustice as well.”
Earlier, referring to a purported appeal by an Islamic scholar for “vote jihad” against the BJP-led Mahayuti government, Fadnavis had called for a “dharma-yudh of votes” to counter it.
During a few rallies in Pune ahead of the November 20 assembly polls, Fadnavis had played a video by Islamic scholar Sajjad Nomani and claimed that the slogan of “vote-Jihad” was raised.
It is being said that a person who votes for the BJP must be ostracised, Fadnavis claimed.
“If these people are trying to do vote jihad, if they are saying they will destabilise the government through vote jihad, then you will also have to do dharma-yudh of votes,” Fadnavis had said in a swipe at the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi.
