In a bold expression of his religious ideals, Congress MP and Leader of Opposition (LoP) Rahul Gandhi displayed a picture of Lord Shiva, Guru Nanak and Jesus Christ in the Lok Sabha while explaining “that the opposition follows the values taught by them.”
Gandhi’s actions, however, were met with strong objection by Speaker Om Birla who cited the exhibition of any placard or sign, as a violation of the rules of the House.
In his speech, Gandhi launched a sharp attack on the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party, known for its pro-Hindu narrative and asserted that Hinduism is not about spreading fear, hatred and falsehoods but about non-violence and resilience.
“I’d like to start by showing an image of our protector, Lord Shiva. All our great men have spoken about non-violence and finishing fear. But, those who call themselves Hindu (BJP) only talk about violence, hatred, and untruth. Aap Hindu ho hi nahi,” Gandhi said in the parliament.
His remarks came during a discussion on the Motion of Thanks to the President’s address to a joint sitting of Parliament.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi intervened during Gandhi’s speech, stating that calling the entire Hindu society violent is a serious issue. Gandhi retorted, saying “The BJP and the RSS are not the entire Hindu society”.
Gandhi Displays Images Of All Religious Leaders
After Lord Shiva, who Gandhi called his protector, he also displayed pictures of religious leader and founder of Sikhism Guru Nanak, and Jesus Christ. He said the purpose of showcasing these pictures was to reiterate that the opposition and the entire country believe in their ideals.
“The reason I displayed this picture is because Lord Shiva is our protector, the entire country knows about this image and we present this here today because this image propagates some ideals that we believe in,” Gandhi said while addressing the Lok Sabha.
The first idea that we defend is the confrontation of our fears, that idea is represented by this image that you are not allowing me to show,” he added.
The Congress leader further emphasised that all religions talk about courage, citing Islam, Christianity, Buddhism, Jainism and Sikhism to underline the importance of fearlessness.
Gandhi reiterated that all religions, including Islam and Sikhism, emphasise courage and the importance of being fearless.
Speaker Om Birla Raises Objection
Speaker Om Birla objected to Gandhi’s act of displaying posters with images of religious figures urging him to stick to the rules of Parliament and refrain from displaying any placards on the floor of the House.
“You asked a question, your colleagues from the opposition cited Rule 353, 352, which is against any display of placards or symbols inside the House. Your leaders urged that the House run on these rules.”
Later, Gandhi also accused the BJP of launching systematic attacks on the Constitution and the fundamental idea of India, noting that millions of people have resisted the ideas proposed by the ruling party.
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