The Bharatiya Janata Party on Friday slammed Congress leader Rahul Gandhi for his "completely secular" remarks for the Indian Muslim League party during his US visit. Union Minister Prahlad Singh Patel launched a scathing attack on the former Congress chief and said that be it Congress or Rahul Gandhi, if they say Muslim League is secular, they are sowing seeds of division. "The mindset that calls the Muslim League 'secular' is dangerous. I don't take Rahul Gandhi's ignorant statement seriously but Congress tendency...I believe that be it Congress or Rahul Gandhi - if they say Muslim League is secular, they are sowing seeds of division…," Prahlad Singh Patel said, as quoted by the news agency ANI.
In response to BJP's criticism over Gandhi's remark, Chairman of Congress party's Media & Publicity Dept, Pawan Khera stated: "I think today's BJP - that of Modi & Amit Shah - doesn't have knowledge of Indian politics. They might have knowledge of Pakistan's politics but not India's...Syama Prasad Mookerjee had forged an alliance with Jinnah's Muslim League. This is not that Muslim League. This is that Muslim League with which BJP forged an alliance in Nagpur municipal."
During an interaction with journalists at the National Press Club in Washington DC on Thursday, Rahul Gandhi, claimed that the 'Muslim League is a "completely secular party". Responding to a question on the Congress's alliance with Muslim League in Kerala, Rahul said, "Muslim League is a completely secular party, there is nothing non-secular about them. I think the person (reporter) hasn't studied the Muslim League," as quoted by ANI.
Reacting to Gandhi’s remarks, Uttar Pradesh Deputy CM Brajesh Pathak said that his statement is very saddening and the people of India will never accept the insulting of the nation on foreign soil. "This (Rahul Gandhi's statement) is very saddening. People of India will never accept the insulting of the nation on foreign soil," says UP Deputy CM Brajesh Pathak said, as quoted by ANI.
UP Deputy CM Keshav Prasad Maurya said that the 2024 general elections are ahead, whatever Rahul Gandhi wants to say he should come here among the public and speak. "2024 elections are ahead, whatever he (Rahul Gandhi) wants to say, he should come here among the public and speak. Why he is insulting the nation on foreign soil? He must apologise for this," Keshav Prasad Maurya said, as quoted by ANI.
"Indian Union Muslim League - it obviously means that it is a party only for the Muslims, there are no Hindus or Christians; there has never been and there will never be...The party has become completely silent on extremism, fundamentalism. Kerala has become the laboratory for ISIS & these people don't say a word...The problem with Rahul Gandhi is, he doesn't have the capability to understand. That's okay, some people don't have the intellectual capacity but at least listen to other people and read things," BJP's KJ Alphons said, as quoted by ANI.
Union Minister Kiren Rijiju has lashed out at former Waynad MP for his remarks and said that it was "extremely unfortunate" that some people in the country "still consider the person who supports the Muslim League as Secular."
Rijiju also asked how Mohammad Ali Jinnah's Muslim League which was "responsible" for India's partition on religious lines be a secular party. Gandhi is currently on a visit to the US. The Indian Union Muslim League is an ally of the Congress-led UDF in Kerala. Rahul Gandhi represented Wayanad in the Lok Sabha before being disqualified from Parliament.