Surat, April 10 (IANS) Gujarat Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Co-Spokesperson and Valsad MP Dhaval Patel on Friday reacted to remarks made by Congress leader Kanhaiya Kumar, referring to him as the “leader of the ‘tukde-tukde gang’ at JNU” and linking his comments to a series of statements by Opposition leaders that he said were ‘derogatory’ towards Gujaratis.
The controversy stems from a speech delivered by Kanhaiya Kumar at a rally in Bongaigaon in Assam on Friday, where he made a veiled reference to the Union Home Minister Amit Shah while speaking on infiltration and governance issues.
“When I came here, a journalist told me that the issue here is of infiltration. I told that the biggest infiltrator has come from Gujarat and he will be driven out along with (Assam Chief Minister) Himanta Biswa Sarma,” Kumar said at the rally.
Reacting to Kanhaiya Kumar’s remarks, Dhaval Patel told IANS, “This is not the first time such a statement has been made. A few days ago, Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge said that Gujaratis are illiterate and fools. This reflects the level of hatred they (Congress) have towards 6.5 crore Gujaratis.”
He alleged that the Opposition supports infiltrators, adding that such statements reflect a broader ideological position.
“Kanhaiya Kumar was associated with the ‘tukde-tukde gang’ at Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU). The basis of his statement comes from an ideology that India should be divided, with Tamil Nadu separate, Gujarat separate, Assam separate, and Jharkhand separate. The Congress and the Opposition support infiltrators,” Minister Patel said.
He also referred to earlier remarks by Opposition leaders, saying, “Earlier, Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, had also said in Assam that Gujaratis are scamsters. Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra said that Gujaratis did not contribute to the freedom struggle. The reason behind this hatred is that for the last 30 years, the people of Gujarat have rejected Congress and other opposition parties along with their anti-national and anti-development thinking.”
He also added, “People like Kanhaiya Kumar stage protests in support of infiltrators. This is not only about Prime Minister Narendra Modi, but reflects the ‘anti-Gujarati’ mindset of Kanhaiya Kumar.”
Kanhaiya Kumar’s remarks come in the wake of a controversy involving the Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge, who sparked a row during a rally in Kerala with comments about the people of Gujarat.
Congress Chief Kharge later apologised for his statement a few days afterwards.
–IANS
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