Jaipur, February 19 Rajasthan Congress chief Govind Singh Dotasra on Thursday condemned the death threat to Rahul Gandhi and termed it a consequence of "ideological extremism."
A man from Kota has been arrested for allegedly issuing the threat through a video.
Dotasra also accused the BJP and the RSS of promoting an atmosphere of intolerance.
"Open threats to Rahul Gandhi reflected a poisonous mindset. Ideological extremism is being used to brand dissent as anti-national," he said.
Dotasra claimed such an environment could encourage violence against opposition leaders.
Describing Gandhi, the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, as a voice for crores of people, the party leader asked why those allegedly issuing threats were "roaming free" and demanded strict action against them.
He asserted that attempts to spread hatred would not succeed and the country would follow the path of Mahatma Gandhi's ideals rather than Nathuram Godse's.
Speaking to reporters in the Assembly building, Leader of Opposition Tikaram Jully termed the threat a serious security concern and accused the BJP of fostering an atmosphere of intimidation.
Jully alleged that attempts were earlier made to pressure opposition leaders through central agencies and that threats were now being issued openly.
"We are not afraid, and Rahul Gandhi is not afraid," he said.
Responding to the allegations, Minister of State for Home Jawahar Singh Bedham said police in Kota took immediate cognisance of the video and arrested the accused.
