"You Can't Stop Gandhi": Uddhav Thackeray's Party Praises Rahul Gandhi's Speech

The Shiv Sena (UBT) on Wednesday stated that the Leader of Opposition, Rahul Gandhi's speech in the Lok Sabha on July 1 showed that 'a Gandhi cannot be stopped.

Terming it as 'a vendetta by time', the SS(UBT) predicted that Rahul Gandhi's speech, and its fallout across the country, was a clear pointer that more was in store for the rulers in the coming days, said an edit in the party's publications, 'Saamana' Group.

"In the last 10 years, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah and their BJP never faced such a situation. Rahul Gandhi has scratched off the vermillion (sindoor) of divinity off Modi…The Leader of Opposition cannot be congratulated enough for this," said 'Saamana'.

The edit added how, after Rahul Gandhi's assertions that the BJP was not a "monopolist of Hinduism", a storm erupted in Parliament and for the first time in 10 years, Shah had to seek 'protection' from the Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla.

The 'Saamana' edits said that Rahul Gandhi's statements about how some people are instigating riots in the name of Hindutva and spreading communal hatred for elections, even though real Hinduism is sober, liberal and fearlessly supportive of Truth, angered PM Modi who accused the Congress LoP of "insulting the Hindus".

To this, the edit said Rahul Gandhi shot back saying "Sir, you have not understood Hindutva at all. BJP does not mean Hindutva..." and "Modi's expression was worth seeing as nobody had ever dared enter their domain to reprimand them in such a manner".

"Until now, Modi-Shah attempted to keep the Parliament under their feet on the strength of their brutal majority, but a strong Opposition led by Rahul Gandhi has emerged in Parliament, and those unbridled people have been reined in. They kept using Hindutva and fighting polls in the name of religion for 10 years, but now they have been shown the mirror," said 'Saamana' sharply.

Harking to the LoP's strong statement on the Speaker who had earlier suspended 150 MPs at one shot and pushed through important legislation in an empty House, the edit said "Now Rahul Gandhi's arrival has shaken up the walls of Parliament that were fast asleep for the past 10 years".

"Rahul Gandhi ridiculed Modi's claims of divinity and how he could communicate directly with God… Modi became a laughing stock in front of the whole Parliament by his own utterances. After this Modi-Shah had no choice but to seek the Speaker's protection… Hope the message has reached the ED-CBI-etc," said the 'Saamana'.

"The solitary Rahul Gandhi proved more than a match for the BJP's Modi, Shah, Rajnath Singh, Kiren Rijiju, Ravi Shankar Prasad, Bhupendra Yadav and others on the ruling side. Modi's fake Hindutva did not work in the LS elections, and on July 1, Rahul Gandhi again vanquished it in Parliament," said the 'Saamana'.

The edit, referring to Rahul Gandhi's revelations on how PM Modi reportedly wanted to contest from the Faizabad LS seat which comprises Ayodhya, but after three surveys "warned" him of the risks, the PM returned to Varanasi and somehow won, and even became the PM through "manipulations", "but his leadership has started declining".

(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)