Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday lambasted the BJP for pursuing what he called divisive and communal politics, evoking childhood memories of his grandmother and father, former Prime Ministers Indira and Rajiv Gandhi, to strike a chord with a large crowd at Churu in election-bound Rajasthan.
“They killed my grandmother and father, and they might kill me too, but I am not afraid,” he said. Referring to his visit to communal-riot-hit Muzaffarnagar, Rahul said the violence in the area reminded him of his own story. “I met Hindus and Muslims, and it was a sad feeling. I was seeing my face in their grief,” he said. “They (the BJP) go to Muzaffarnagar, Gujarat or Kashmir and spread hatred. We have to go in and douse the fire.”
Recounting Indira Gandhi's assassination, Rahul said, “I was very angry at my grandmother’s killers, and took a long time to get over it.
“My security officer told me my grandmother had been shot. My legs were trembling.
Priyanka and I were taken home from school. On the road there was grandmother's blood and in a room there was the blood on my friends,” he recounted. “I had two friends in Beant Singh and Satwant Singh; they taught me how to play badminton,” he said. “In 1984, I was in the garden when I met Beant Singh. He asked me where grandmother sleeps and if her security is adequate. He taught me to lie down if somebody threw a grenade at me. At that time I did not understand what he meant. Years later I understood that they were going to throw a grenade at her during Diwali.”
A handful of BJP workers managed to sneak into the venue with banners saying “Modi Lao Desh Bachao”, which they waved while raising slogans as Gandhi was speaking.
Interestingly, a few Congress workers attending the rally joined them, chancing upon shutterbugs clicking their pictures. Policemen later took away the banners, but the BJP activists continued to raise slogans.
