Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini on Tuesday accused Congress leader Rahul Gandhi of insulting Hindus during his speech in the Lok Sabha and demanded he and the Congress apologised to the people of the country. Saini also said several Congress leaders are trying to justify Gandhi's speech when they should help him enhance his knowledge and advice him not to lower parliamentary dignity. "He has insulted Hindus. He has spoken lies. He always defames Hindus. I strongly condemn it," Saini said during a press conference, slamming Gandhi. In his first speech as the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha on Monday, Gandhi had launched a no-holds-barred attack on the BJP, accusing the leaders of the ruling party of dividing people on communal lines. Saini said Gandhi called Hindus violent and hatemongers in the Parliament and this allegation is "unfortunate". Attacking the senior Congress leader, he said, "It is his frustration which is coming out from inside. The kind of words he has used, he and the Congress should apologise to the people of the country." "He did not speak a word on the President's address. He only spoke lies and nothing else," claimed Saini. "In his speech, he insulted Hindus, calling them violent, hateful and liars," the chief minster pointed out, adding that the Congress is trying to justify what he has said. Congress leaders should instead help Gandhi enhance his knowledge and make him understand that he should not lower parliamentary dignity, he added. He said Congress has repeatedly launched Gandhi, but he has been rejected as a leader by the public. The way he repeatedly showed Lord Shiva's picture in the Parliament is strongly objectionable, Saini said. Slamming Gandhi and the Congress on the 1984 anti-Sikh riots, Saini asked, "What the Congress did in 1984? Have they forgotten the hate which they spread?" He also raised the issue of violence against Kashmiri Pandits in the Kashmir valley during Congress regime, adding, "Was the Congress blindfolded at that time as well as in 1984?" He also asked why Gandhi maintained silence on several incidents in West Bengal and accused him of spreading lies by saying that no compensation is given to Agniveers who are martyred. Saini further claimed that the Congress tried to mislead the people on various matters, such as the farmers' issues, during the recent Lok Sabha elections. He demanded that Gandhi issued a white paper with all the steps taken by the Congress government for the welfare of farmers in the last 55-60 years of its tenure, he said. Gandhi is now the Leader of Opposition, so he should think before he speaks and now bring a change in his behaviour, said Saini. Gandhi's speech in the Lok Sabha on Monday drew massive protests from the treasury benches, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi slamming him for calling the entire Hindu community violent. The Congress leader was speaking during the debate on the Motion of Thanks on the president's address to a joint sitting of Parliament. Holding up pictures of Lord Shiva, Guru Nanak, and Jesus Christ, he referred to Hinduism, Islam, Sikhism, Christianity, Buddhism and Jainism to underline the importance of fearlessness. He also cited the attributes of Lord Shiva and teachings of Guru Nanak, Jesus Christ, Buddha, and Mahavir to state that all religions and great people of the country have said "daro mat, darao mat (do not be scared, do not scare others)".
