Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Home Minister Amit Shah and others launched a scathing attack on Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday over his remarks on the Sikh community and reservation, saying his statements are “misleading, baseless and extremely shameful”.

It seems that while running ‘Mohabbat Ki Dukaan (shop of love), the Congress leader has opened ‘Jhooth Ki Dukaan’ (shop of lies), Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said in a social media post on X.

“The kind of misleading, baseless and factless things that the Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, is saying during his foreign tour are extremely shameful and hurt the dignity of India. He has said that the Sikh community in India is not allowed to wear turbans in Gurdwaras, they are being prevented from behaving according to their religion. This is completely baseless and far from the truth,” the Defence Minister said.

Singh said the entire country recognises and respects the great role played by the Sikh community in protecting the culture of India. “It is not befitting for an Opposition leader to make such false statements about them,” he added.

He also slammed Mr Gandhi for his claims that the NDA government wants to abolish reservation and said that these are “baseless” claims.

“Rahulji’s claim that the NDA government wants to abolish reservation is also completely baseless. Our Prime Minister has strengthened the reservation system for the welfare and development of Dalits, backward classes and tribals. Similarly, the kind of claims he has made on the soil of America regarding the India-China border dispute are also misleading and beyond facts. It seems that while running the shop of love, Rahulji has opened a shop of lies. Rahulji should refrain from making such false statements,” he added.

During an interaction at Georgetown University, Gandhi had remarked, “We will think of scrapping reservations when India is a fair place. And India is not a fair place.”

Union Home Minister Amit Shah also launched a scathing attack on Congress MP and Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, accusing him and his party of consistently aligning with forces that threaten national unity.

Shah’s remarks come in response to statements made by Gandhi during his ongoing visit to the United States, where the Congress leader hinted at the possibility of abolishing reservations in the future.

The Union Home Minister also criticised Gandhi for allegedly siding with those promoting anti-national agendas. He pointed to the Congress’ history of supporting the Jammu and Kashmir National Conference (JKNC) and its opposition to the reservation system in Jammu and Kashmir, claiming these actions have repeatedly endangered national security.

“Standing with forces that conspire to divide the country and making anti-national statements has become a habit for Rahul Gandhi and the Congress party,” Shah stated.

He added that by speaking about abolishing reservations, Gandhi has once again revealed his party’s “anti-reservation face,” reaffirming the Congress’s long-standing stance against affirmative action.

“By speaking about abolishing reservations in the country, Rahul Gandhi has once again brought the Congress’s anti-reservation face to the forefront. The thoughts that were in his mind eventually found their way out as words,” he said.

The Union Home Minister emphasised that the BJP would ensure that the reservation system remains intact, asserting, “As long as the BJP is there, neither can anyone abolish reservations nor can anyone mess with the nation’s security.”

Meanwhile, Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju also hit out at Mr Gandhi and said that it is not proper to “defame” the country abroad.

He said the minorities from all neighbouring countries come to India, whenever the situation gets tense, adding that there is no safer place for minorities in the world, than India.

“There was an attack on Indian democracy in 1975, but the people of the country condemned it. After this, no one has been able to attack the Indian parliamentary democracy. Emergency will never return…It is not right to defame India abroad. As far as our land is concerned, after Modi ji has come to power, no one has been able to capture even an inch of our land…In no other place in the world, minorities are as safe as they are in India,” Mr Rijiju said.

Meanwhile, Union Minister Piyush Goyal said the comments made by Rahul Gandhi in the US was “very unfortunate” stating that the Congress leader on his visits abroad only criticized the BJP and the country.

Asked about Gandhi”s meeting US Congresswoman Ilhan Omar in the US, the Union Minister of Commerce and Industry told mediapersons here, “He (Rahul Gandhi) has again and again defamed India in his international visits. It seems as if he goes abroad to criticize Indians and his motherland. I condemn the kind of statements and the people whom he is meeting during his foreign trips. He meets Miss Omar who is a known anti-India propagandist and pro-Pakistan.”

Alleging that Rahul Gandhi had become a “fake news and propaganda machine against India, Goyal said, “She (Omar) is known to criticize Kashmir for being a part of India. Such anti-India forces…have become friends of the Congress party and Rahul Gandhi. He interacts with people who raise questions against India in various forums including in the White House.”