 "BJP giving OBC colour to Rahul's remark to hide theft: Digvijaya Singh")
Senior Congress leader Digvijaya Singh on Sunday claimed Rahul Gandhi rightly called the "absconders" associated with Prime Minister Narendra Modi "thieves" but the BJP is projecting his remarks as anti-OBC.
He claimed not a single person from Other Backward Classes (OBC) turned "absconder" after taking the country's money.
"Absconders are those people who are associated with the BJP and (Prime Minister Narendra) Modi. Rahul Gandhi has rightly called them thieves. What crime has he committed by raising the issue of Rs 20,000 crore in Adani's (industrialist Gautam Adani) companies," Singh asked while talking to reporters.
After Rahul Gandhi was disqualified as an MP after a court in Surat convicted him in a criminal defamation case over his "Modi surname" remark, BJP staged protests across the country claiming the Congress leader had insulted the OBCs.
"Tell me the name of any OBC who had run away to foreign countries by taking away the nation's money. To hide the theft, the BJP has put forward OBCs. Not a single OBC person has turned absconder after taking the country's money but the BJP has termed Gandhi's statement as against OBC. They should apologise to the nation," Singh said.
Queried on Rahul Gandhi's disqualification as the Wayanad MP, Singh said Congress leaders are not afraid of such tactics and slammed the Union government.
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The Rajya Sabha MP alleged the BJP, RSS, and PM Modi want a "Russia, China-like democracy" in India by putting Opposition leaders in jails by filing false cases against them and disqualifying them from membership (of parliament).
"This is the model of democracy of BJP, RSS and Modi," he said.
Singh questioned the chronology of events ahead of the Surat court's verdict on Thursday and Rahul's disqualification as Lok Sabha MP.
"In 2019, Rahul Gandhi delivered a speech at Kolar in Karnataka, but a defamation case was filed in Surat. The moment Rahul Gandhi posed questions to Modi in parliament on February 7, the BJP team responsible for spreading falsehood became active and the case in Surat court was expedited.
"A stay on proceedings by the high court got vacated. Though I have full regard for the judiciary; a person- a judge- is posted and the hearing gets completed on February 27 and the verdict was out on March 23, and within 24 hours Rahul's Lok Sabha membership ended," he claimed.
Singh said the Opposition supported Congress as they understood the chronology of events and the Grand Old Party is grateful to them.
"As I heard, the judge was given a double promotion as per my information," he claimed.
Singh questioned the source of "Rs 20,000 crore" to (businessman Gautam) Adani.
"The company's director was from China. From which company?....It should be probed and a joint parliamentary committee should be constituted," the Rajya Sabha MP said.
He said Congress workers will take to the streets against the disqualification of Rahul Gandhi.
"Rahul Gandhi belongs to that family which has sacrificed for the country's freedom. The entire Nehru-Gandhi family was in jail. What was the role of RSS at that time?" Singh questioned.
Responding to a query about Rahul Gandhi's 52 per cent attendance in Parliament, Singh claimed "Mikes are stopped in Parliament. Parts of Rahul's speech were expunged. He is present among the people in the entire country. Tell me whether any BJP leader had walked in the country for 4,000 ks?"
He shot back at a reporter who questioned how could ageing Congress leaders contest polls, especially when the BJP has rolled out a youth policy recently.
"Did you know the age of the Prime Minister or Madhya Pradesh chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan?" Singh asked.
The Congress veteran, who walked in the Bharat Jodo Yatra, also challenged the concerned reporter to match steps with him if he can and advised him not to ask such questions.
Later, Singh and other leaders of Congress staged a protest against Rahul Gandhi's disqualification under Mahatma Gandhi's statue in the Phoolbagh area.