The BJP and the Congress on Saturday engaged in a fierce verbal face-off over Congress MP Rahul Gandhi’s meeting with controversial priest George Ponnaiah during the “Bharat Jodo Yatra”.
In the video, the priest could be heard saying, “Jesus is a real God... unlike Shakti.”
Raising questions over the video of Rahul interacting with the priest, BJP spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla tweeted saying the Congress leader is connecting with “Bharat todo icons”. “This man was arrested for his Hindu hatred earlier — he also said ‘I wear shoes because impurities of Bharat Mata should not contaminate us’. Bharat Jodo with Bharat Todo icons?” Poonawalla tweeted.
“It’s Rahul Gandhi’s ‘Nafrat Jodo Abhiyan’. Today they have made a person like George Ponnaiah the poster boy of the Bharat Jodo Yatra who challenged, threatened Hindus and said inappropriate things about Bharat Mata. The Congress has a long history of being anti-Hindu,” Poonawalla said.
Ponnaiah was arrested in 2021 for his alleged comments against Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah and some DMK leaders.
Calling the tweet “atrocious” the Congress accused the BJP of spreading mischief and alleged that the ruling party has turned more desperate ever since the successful launch of the “Bharat Jodo Yatra”.