"Sick Mentality": Congress Tears Into PM's "Party For Muslim Men" Remark

Anand Sharma said PM Narendra Modi had "less knowledge of history".

The Congress on Sunday launched a blistering attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his comment that it was "a party for Muslim men", saying it reflected that he was a "peddler of untruths" with a "sick mentality". At a rally in Uttar Pradesh's Azamgarh on Saturday, the Prime Minister raised a contentious media report that claimed Congress president Rahul Gandhi had said his was "a party of Muslims" - a statement that the Congress has firmly denied.

"The prime minister has continuously hurt the dignity of his office. We strictly oppose what he said yesterday(Saturday). It shows his sick mentality and twisted mindset," senior Congress spokesperson Anand Sharma said.

"There is an attempt by him to divide society... His main opposition, the INC, led the national movement, spearheaded the fight for independence... to call it a Muslim party does not behove a PM. His sick mindset is an issue of national concern. The prime minister gives out statements which are wrong as per history and facts," Mr Sharma said, calling the Prime Minister a "peddler of untruths".

Instead of giving an account of the last four years, "the prime minister is resorting to untruths, half-truth and lies", he alleged.

Saying the Prime Minister had "less knowledge of history and writes his own history", the Congress leader said PM Modi needs to be reminded that Congress presidents such as Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru, Sardar Patel, Lala Lajpat Rai, and Maulana Azad were iconic leaders.

The Congress, he said, was a party "for all Indians and respects the diversity the country has to offer".

In his comment asking if the Congress was "a party for Muslim men", the Prime Minister had alleged the opposition was stonewalling the government's efforts to secure the life of women, especially Muslim women, with moves like the outlawing of "triple talaq" instant divorce law.

PM Modi's move to reiterate the charge Defence Minster Nirmala Sitharaman first made on Friday came hours after the Congress strongly rebutted the claim and insisted that the report in the Urdu newspaper was "concocted". Historian Irfan Habib, who was also present at the recent meeting between Muslim intellectuals and Rahul Gandhi, had also denied that Mr Gandhi had said anything of the sorts.

Mr Sharma said the Congress was against triple talaq but they were not in favour of the government bypassing the parliament to introduce a law.

The Congress also alleged the Modi government provided false data about reducing poverty. The prime minister's claim that five crore people have been lifted out of poverty in two years was "laughable", Mr Sharma said.