In a sharp reaction to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s ‘Shakti’ remark, former Union minister and senior BJP leader Ravi Shankar Prasad said here on Tuesday that the grand old party’s leader has insulted Hindu culture.

Addressing a press conference at the party’s headquarters here, “Yesterday, Rahul Gandhi insulted Hindu faith, Hindu thought, Hindu values and Hindu culture.”

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“We thought that he would realise his mistake. But even after a day, there have been no efforts to rectify the statement. His coterie spokespersons were looking for meaning in his remark and attempting to justify it,” Prasad said.

He said Rahul Gandhi’s party is no longer the Congress party imbued with the doctrine and ideals of Mahatma Gandhi. “This is the Congress party led by a divisive mind, Maoist thought and anti-Hindu thought,” the senior BJP leader said.

“The Congress party under the leadership of Rahul Gandhi now follows Maoist ideas, divisive ideas and separatist ideas,” Prasad said.

“Denigrating and castigating Hindu gods, Hindu practices and ideals have become the biggest theme of the political campaign of the Congress party these days,” Prasad said.

“Can Rahul Gandhi use derogatory words for any other faith?” the senior BJP leader questioned.

“Rahul Gandhi should tell whether he can use such derogatory words about any other faith, do you have the courage to do so, will you be allowed to do so,” Prasad asked.

Insulting the Hindu faith has become the second nature of Congress and its allies, he added.

Congress MP Rahul Gandhi triggered a row by raising concerns about the operation of Electronic Voting Machines (EVM), to emphasise the Opposition’s struggle against the might of the state. After his ‘Shakti’ remark stirred controversy, BJP leaders criticised him for his statement, whereas the Congress rallied behind the Wayanad MP and came in support of him.

Gandhi, in his comments made on Sunday in Maharashtra, said, “There is a word ‘Shakti’ (might) in Hinduism. We are fighting against a Shakti (might of the state). The question is, what is that Shakti and what does it entail for us? The soul and integrity of EVMs have been traded to the King (Modi). This is a fact. Not just EVMs but every autonomous institution of the country, be it the ED, CBI or Income Tax department, have traded their spines to the Centre.”

Meanwhile, clarifying his remark, Rahul Gandhi said that he was speaking about the power whose mask is none other than the prime minister. “Modi ji does not like my words, he always tries to change their meaning by twisting them in some way or the other because he knows that I have spoken a deep truth. The power that I mentioned, the power that we are fighting, it’s mask is none other than Modi ji,” the Congress leader posted on X.