Randeep Singh Surjewala, Congress leader and Rajya Sabha MP, has courted a controversy after he purportedly used derogatory words to describe the Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP) and its supporters, calling them ‘Rakshas’ (monsters), news agency ANI reported. Several BJP leaders reacted strongly to Surjewala’s comments.
Addressing the Congress ‘Jan Akrosh rally’ in Kaithal, Haryana, on Sunday, Surjewala said, “Don’t give job, at least give a chance to sit in the job. People of the BJP and the JJP are ‘rakshas’ (monsters) and those who vote for the BJP and support them are ‘rakshas’ too. Today, I curse from this land of Mahabharata.”
A video clip of the speech has gone viral on social media, with many BJP leaders sharing them.
HT could not independently verify the authenticity of the video.
Meanwhile, reacting to the Congres leader’s comment, BJP the national spokesperson Sambit Patra tweeed, “The Congress party, which failed to launch the prince again and again, has now started abusing the public and Janardhan. Listen to Congress leader Randeep Surjewala, who has become a victim of blindness in protest against Prime Minister Modi and BJP, saying – ‘The people of the country who vote and support BJP are ‘monsters’.” Patra also shared the video clip.
On one hand, there is Modi ji, the prime minister of 140 crore countrymen, for whom the public is the form of Janardan, and on the other hand, there is the Congress party, for whom the public is the form of a demon,” Patra tweeted.
The people of the country understand this difference very well and the people of the country themselves will work to lock the mega shopping mall of their hatred,” he added.
Another BJP leader Gaurav Bhatia also tweeted and said, “The Congress party, which failed to launch Rahul Gandhi, is now venting its anger on the public. Randeep Surjewala said – ‘The people of the country who voted for BJP are ‘monsters’, Khangrace should understand that it is the right of a citizen to vote or support any party. You are anti-national for your language and thinking’.”
While the Congress or Surjewala is yet to make an official statement over the comment, another BJP spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla said “first Bharat Mata ki Hatya and now abusing Bharat ki Janta”.
“Randeep Surjewala & his party refer to Afzal Guru, Osama & Hafiz Saeed with ‘Ji’ & ‘Sahab’ but here he is abusing voters – 22.9cr voters. Says those who vote BJP are ‘Rakshas pravriti vale (राक्षस प्रवृत्ति वाले )’ First abuse ECI,EVMs & now No Confidence in Janta ? Janta will teach them a lesson ! For us Janta is JANARDHAN or like God,” he tweeted.