Does Rahul’s mohabbat ki dukaan include killing of Sikhs? Smriti attacks Congress

New Delhi, June 8

Senior BJP leader and union minister Smriti Irani on Thursday launched a scathing attack on Rahul Gandhi asking whether his “Mobahhat ki dukaan” included the killing of Sikhs, the disrespect of Sengol and the boycott of a new national Parliament building.

Addressing a press conference at BJP headquarters today, Irani, who had in 2019 defeated Rahul Gandhi in Amethi Lok Sabha seat, also accused the Congress leadership of “using external forces to assault Indian democratic structures and intensifying these attacks as elections draw near.”

On Opposition unity attempts and the planned meeting in Patna on June 23, Irani said, “Those seeking solace in one another, those who are unable to stand on their feet are now hoping to assemble in a place where a Rs 1750 crore structure was just swept away in water. The aspirations of these people will be similarly swept away in 2024 is my firm belief.”

On Gandhi’s new “Mohabbat ki dukaan” targline, Irani said, “For a lady to converse on a topic like Mohabbat ki dukaan would be a tad bit unchivalrous. But when you talk about mohabbat, does that include killing of Sikhs, kidnapping of women in Rajasthan, denouncing the Hindu way of life, partnering with those who want to undermine India? Does that mohabbat compel you to seek outside support against your own democracy?

What kind of mohabbat is this that boycotts its own Parliament, disrespects Sengol, a powerful symbol of India’s cultural and political unification? “Yeh kaisa ishq hai joh desh se nahi, apni political siyasat se hai (What kind of love is this? It is not with one’s own country but only with one’s political power?”

Irani, who is also minister for minority affairs, rejected Congress charge that the BJP was anti-minority.

”One yardstick of measuring support is budget allocation by a government. Gandhi family which calls itself the protector of Muslims had allocated Rs 12,000 crore in its UPA term to minorities. The BJP in nine years of rule has allocated Rs 31450 cr,” she said.

The Amethi MP alleged that intensification of Congress (read Rahul Gandhi currently in the US) activities as elections approach near signal the fact that its leadership, in their hunger for power, is hell bent on assaulting Indian democratic processes.”

“Why are Gandhi family people so helpless?” Irani asked.