New Delhi, April 10 The BJP launched a sharp attack on the Congress on Friday, alleging that its leaders have repeatedly made "insulting" remarks against people from Gujarat and other states, using derogatory terms ranging from "infiltrators" to "demons".
In a video statement posted on X, BJP spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla said after Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge's controversial remarks, referring to Gujaratis and people from some other states as "illiterates", his party colleague Kanhaiya Kumar has termed Gujaratis "infiltrators" and made similar remarks about Assamese people.
"Once again, the Congress has shown that it considers abusing and insulting Gujaratis and other communities as its identity. After Mallikarjun Kharge's comment that Gujaratis and north Indians are illiterates, now Kanhaiya Kumar, who is considered very close to Rahul Gandhi, has said Gujaratis are infiltrators. He has even made a similar comment about Assamese people.
"This reflects the mindset of the Congress. It is not a 'shop of love', but a 'brotherhood of threats and hatred'. It has consistently targeted people and called them demons, illiterates and infiltrators," Poonawalla said.
He alleged that the Congress has developed a pattern of "abusing communities and regions" whenever it faces an electoral defeat and that in its opposition to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the grand old party is pitching people against each other.
"Because the Congress is losing elections, in its opposition to Narendra Modi and the BJP, it has started hating Gujarat and other states of India. It wants Indians to fight among themselves on the basis of religion, language and state. This is yet another example of that," Poonawalla said.
He further accused opposition parties of trying to divide people for political gains.
"Whether it is DMK, TMC or Congress leaders -- they have been abusing people from different states because their DNA is that of division (tukde tukde)," he said.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader also wondered whether the Congress's state units and its allies, including Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav, agree with the remarks attributed to Kharge and Kumar.
The ruling party's response came in the wake of a statement attributed to Kumar during a rally in Assam's Bongaigaon, where he reportedly said the "biggest infiltrator came from Gujarat" and called for such people to be "driven out", in a veiled reference to senior BJP leaders, including Union Home Minister Amit Shah.
"A journalist raised the issue of infiltrators. I said the biggest infiltrator came from Gujarat. Along with Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, he too should be driven out from here," Kumar reportedly said at the rally.
Poonawalla shared the video of Kumar's speech, which is now being widely circulated on social media.
Poonawalla also targeted Maharashtra Congress leader Hussain Dalwai over his reported remarks defending Kharge's statement on Gujarat.
Citing Dalwai's remarks, the BJP leader alleged that he has insulted voters by suggesting that those who support the saffron party are "fools".
"It is not that they are illiterates, but they are fools. Those who believe in the BJP are creating divisions among people and in the society," Dalwai was quoted as saying.
"Now, Hussain Dalwai has insulted people by calling BJP voters fools. Crores of people who have voted for the BJP repeatedly are being insulted," Poonawalla said.
Contrasting the BJP's stand with that of the Congress, he said his party considers people as the "god and the master" and its leaders as "servants", while alleging that the opposition party treats its leadership as supreme.
Kharge had earlier sparked a row during an election rally in Kerala’s Idukki district by stating that the people of the southern state are "educated and clever" and cannot be misled, unlike those who are "illiterates" in Gujarat and some other places.
Amid a backlash, the Congress chief on April 8 expressed regret over his controversial statement, saying he has always had, and will continue to have, the highest respect for the people of Gujarat.
In a post on X, Kharge said, "Some remarks of mine in a recent election speech in Kerala are being deliberately misinterpreted. Even so, I express my sincere regret.
"It was never my intention to hurt the sentiments of the people of Gujarat, for whom I have always had and will continue to have the highest respect."