Rahul Gandhi.
Credit: PTI File Photo
New Delhi: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Sunday expressed support for a man who stood up to a mob that was threatening a 70-year-old Muslim shopkeeper in Uttarakhand's Pauri Garhwal and alleged that the Sangh Parivar is deliberately poisoning the economy and the society to keep India divided.
The leader of opposition in the Lok Sabha said Deepak from Uttarakhand is a hero of India as he is fighting for the Constitution and humanity.
Gandhi alleged that the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Sangh Parivar are conspiring every day to trample upon the Constitution.
"He is a living symbol of a 'mohabbat ki dukaan' in the marketplace of hate and that is what stings those in power the most," the former Congress chief said in his post in Hindi on X.
"The Sangh Parivar is deliberately poisoning the country's economy and the society, so that India remains divided and a few people continue to rule on the crutches of fear. Uttarakhand's BJP government is openly siding with those anti-social forces that are engaged in intimidating and harassing ordinary citizens," he alleged.
No country can move forward in an atmosphere of hatred, fear and anarchy, Gandhi said, adding that without peace, development is just an empty slogan.
"We need more Deepaks -- those who do not bow down, who do not fear and who stand firmly with the Constitution with all their might. We are with you, brother. Do not be afraid. You are a lion-hearted warrior," Gandhi said, sharing Deepak's photograph on the platform.
Media reports said days after Deepak stood up to a mob that was threatening the 70-year-old Muslim shopkeeper, a group of more than 40 people gathered on Saturday to raise slogans against him in Kotdwar.