Rahul Gandhi’s ‘fight against Shakti’ remark sparks row, PM hits back, Congress leader clarifies

Addressing poll rallies in Telangana and Karnataka, the prime minister says the upcoming Lok Sabha election will be a fight between destroyers and worshippers of 'Shakti'

Rahul Gandhi addresses a gathering in Mumbai. PTI

PTI

Jagtial (Telangana)/New Delhi, March 18

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's "fight against Shakti" remark sparked a controversy on Monday and drew a strong retort from Prime Minister Narendra Modi who said every mother and daughter was a form of "Shakti" for him and that he will sacrifice his life for their security.

Addressing poll rallies in Telangana and Karnataka, the prime minister said the upcoming Lok Sabha election will be a fight between destroyers and worshippers of 'Shakti'.

As Modi seized upon Gandhi's remark made at the opposition INDIA bloc rally in Mumbai on Sunday, the Congress leader clarified that he was not talking about any religious power but the 'Shakti' of unrighteousness, corruption and falsehood.

In a post in Hindi on X, Gandhi accused the prime minister of twisting his words and said he was speaking about the power of which Modi was wearing the mask.

"Modi ji does not like my words, he always tries to change their meaning by twisting them in some way or the other because he knows that I have spoken a solemn truth."

In his first rally in Jagtial in Nizamabad in Telangana after the announcement of the Lok Sabha poll schedule, Modi said the nation dedicated the success of Chandrayaan-3 last year to 'Shiv Shakti' but the opposition parties are talking about destroying "Shakti".

"On Sunday in Mumbai, there was an INDI alliance rally after the announcement of the schedule for elections. They announced their manifesto at Mumbai's Shivaji Park, and said their fight was against 'Shakti'. For me, every mother and every daughter is a form of 'Shakti'. Mothers and sisters, I worship you as 'Shakti'. I am Bharat Maa's 'pujari',” he asserted.

"INDI alliance in its manifesto announced to finish, destroy Shakti. I accept their challenge. I will sacrifice my life for the security of mothers and sisters."

Gandhi in his speech at Shivaji park in Mumbai after the conclusion of his 'Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra' had said: "Our fight against Modi is not on a personal level. Modi is a 'mask' who works for a 'Shakti' (power). He is a shallow man who doesn't have a 56-inch chest."

“In Hindu religion, there is a word ‘Shakti'. We are fighting against a Shakti. Now the question arises: What is that Shakti? As someone here said the King's soul is in EVM. It is correct. The King's soul is in EVM. It is in every institution of Hindustan, in ED, in CBI, in the Income Tax department.”

At the rally in Shivamoga in Karnataka, Modi said, "If they (INDI alliance) want to destroy ‘Shakti', then worshipping ‘Shakti' is our resolve.”

The prime minister said that when he heard about the fight against Shakti from Shivaji Park, he wondered how it would have hurt Shiv Sena supremo late Bal Thackeray’s soul.

The prime minister noted that the remark was made at Shivaji Park where every child grows up with the mantra of ‘Jai Bhavani, Jai Shivaji’.