On Tuesday morning, Rahul posted a tweet in Hindi and English which said: “Before 2014, the word ‘lynching’ was practically unheard of.”
Before 2014, the word ‘lynching’ was practically unheard of. #ThankYouModiJi
— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) 1640064669000
Though he did not mention, Rahul’s post was most probably in reference to the two lynchings which took place in the last two days in Congress-ruled Punjab following accusations of desecration – one at the sanctum sanctorum of the Golden Temple and the other at a village gurdwara in Kapurthala district.
The BJP took exception to the former Congress president’s post which put the blame for lynching on the Modi dispensation instead of holding his party’s Punjab government under chief minister Charanjit Singh Channi responsible for the two incidents of lynching.
In two tweets, BJP leader co-in-charge of West Bengal Amit Malviya made a stinging personal attack on Rahul and the Congress.
His first tweet was aimed at Rajiv Gandhi. He said, “Meet Rajiv Gandhi, father of mob lynching, justifying blood curdling genocide of Sikhs. Congress took to streets, raised slogans like ‘khoon ka badla khoon se lenge’, raped women, wrapped burning tyres around necks of Sikh men while dogs gorged on charred bodies dumped in drains.”
Meet Rajiv Gandhi, father of mob lynching, justifying blood curdling genocide of Sikhs. Congress took to streets, r… https://t.co/r1dPWiZTAf
— Amit Malviya (@amitmalviya) 1640066981000
The post included a video clip in which Rajiv is heard saying that “the earth shakes if a big tree falls”. His comment was in the wake of his mother and the then PM late Indira Gandhi’s assassination on October 31, 1984 which triggered nationwide riots and massacres of Sikhs, particularly in Delhi.
Malviya’s second tweet mentioned the various riots and killings which have taken place in the past in states which were ruled by the Congress.
Alleging the role of “Nehru-Gandhi parivar” (family) for all these riots, Malviya said in his second tweet: “Ahmedabad (1969), Jalgaon (1970), Moradabad (1980), Nellie (1983), Bhiwandi (1984), Delhi (1984), Ahmedabad (1985), Bhagalpur (1989), Hyderabad (1990), Kanpur (1992), Mumbai (1993)… This is just a small list in which more than 100 people died under Nehru-Gandhi parivar’s watch.”
Ahemdabad (1969), Jalgaon (1970), Moradabad (1980), Nellie (1983), Bhiwandi (1984), Delhi (1984), Ahemdabad (1985),… https://t.co/iZKhAHN9Ow
— Amit Malviya (@amitmalviya) 1640065943000
The war of words may escalate if the Congress chooses to retort to the BJP’s caustic attack.
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