Lucknow, Sep 29 (IANS) Uttar Pradesh Congress President Ajai Rai on Monday condemned a reported death threat made against Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, by BJP spokesperson and former ABVP leader Printu Mahadev, asserting that the incident reflects a growing “hatred mindset” within the ranks of the ruling party.
Speaking to IANS, Ajai Rai said, “Their hateful mindset is being exposed now. These people are ruling both in several states and at the Centre. This is just one example of their dangerous thinking. A former ABVP leader giving a death threat to Rahul Gandhi shows how far they’re willing to go. With this same mindset, they killed Mahatma Gandhi, Indira Gandhi, and now they are threatening Rahul Gandhi.”
He added, “But the entire nation is with Rahul Gandhi. If they want to stop him, they will have to go through thousands of Congress workers. The people will respond to this hatred. Rahul Gandhi has raised the issue of ‘Vote Chori’ (vote theft), and their nervousness is now visible through such threats and statements.”
Congress general secretary K C Venugopal on Sunday wrote to Home Minister Amit Shah over a former ABVP leader’s controversial remarks targeting Rahul Gandhi during a televised debate, saying a failure to act against him swiftly will be judged as complicity and normalisation of violence against Rahul Gandhi.
He further reacted as Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Chief Mohsin Naqvi walked out of the stadium after India’s insistence on not accepting the Asia Cup 2025 trophy from him.
Rai said, “The entire country is celebrating this win. India defeated Pakistan three times in a row to win the title. The whole nation is proud of our players.”
On Team India captain Suryakumar Yadav’s decision to donate his entire match fee to victims of the Pahalgam terror attack, Rai said, “I respect our sportspersons. They play for the country and bring immense pride. I want to congratulate them not just for their win, but also for their humanity.”
Reacting to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s post on X, where he wrote, “Operation Sindoor on the games field. The outcome is the same – India wins! Congrats to our cricketers,” Rai responded, “Our cricketers have shown true nationalism through their performance. They won the Asia Cup, and now I hope they go on to win the World Cup too.”
Rai also supported Rahul Gandhi’s recent remarks alleging that the people and culture of Ladakh are under attack from the BJP and RSS.
“Rahul Gandhi is absolutely right. The arrest of Sonam Wangchuk is undemocratic. He is a renowned environmentalist who always speaks in the nation’s interest. Slapping the NSA on him is unacceptable. His voice is being suppressed, and that’s not what democracy is about,” Rai said.
Sonam Wangchuk, who was arrested in Jodhpur, Rajasthan, on Friday, is among over 50 people detained for allegedly participating in riots that turned violent on September 24. Wangchuk has since condemned the violence and ended his hunger strike in protest.
–IANS
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