’First day, worst show!’: JP Nadda, BJP leaders hit back at Rahul Gandhi, say ’blatantly lied’ on many counts

Launching a scathing attack on Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi, JP Nadda—Leader of the House in Rajya Sabha— on Monday, said the former Congress chief lied in the Parliament on many counts, including matters that concern the country’s "hardworking farmers and brave armed forces".

Taking to microblogging platform X (formerly known as Twitter), the BJP national president said in a series of tweets, “First day, worst show! Lies + Hindu hatred = Rahul Gandhi Ji in Parliament. Third Time Fail LoP has a knack for agitated, flawed logic. His speech today has shown that neither has he understood the mandate of 2024 (his third successive loss) nor does he have any humility.”

Demanding “immediate apologies” to all Hindus for “terming them as violent”, the Leader of the House in Rajya Sabha said, “This is the same person who was telling foreign diplomats that Hindus are terrorists. This intrinsic hate towards Hindus must stop.”

"The LoP BLATANTLY LIED on many counts, including matters that concern our hardworking farmers and brave armed forces," Nadda added.

Sharing counters by Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on MSP and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on the Agniveer scheme, the union minister said, "He was duly fact-checked by Union Ministers for FALSE claims on MSP and Agniveer. For his own cheap politics, he won't even spare our farmers and security forces," he said.

Nadda said discussion on the President's Speech is about a "healthy debate" but the Opposition, in its "misplaced triumphalism", continues to be destructive, not constructive.

"Never in the last 60 years has an opposition been rejected 3 times consecutively. The way they are going, they will beat their own record in the coming times, he said.

"The Leader of the Opposition is now a 5-time MP but he has not learnt parliamentary norms and neither does he understand civility. Time and again, he reduces the levels of discourse. His utterances towards the Chair today were in very poor taste. He owes an apology to the Chair for casting unsubstantiated aspersions on his integrity and personality," the BJP chief said.

Flaying Gandhi for his remarks, Union Minister S. Jaishankar said,” This is now the Leader of Opposition.

Who attacks Hindus while professing brotherhood to all. Who disparages the Indian Army’s bravery, while expressing concern for their welfare. Who tears up Cabinet decisions while preaching respect for the Constitution. Welcome to the politics of the Congress Party.

Finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman also slammed former Congress president and alleged that the appeasement politics of the Congress and Gandhi "starts and ends with Hindu hate".

"Sheer audacity of LoP (Leader of Opposotion) Rahul Gandhi to call everyone, who calls himself Hindu, as 'hinsak'/violent shows the Congress's hatred and contempt towards Hindus. Also consistent with Hindu hate of his INDI Alliance partners. Hypocrisy in claiming 'Mohabbat ki Dukaan' exposed," she said in a post on X.