Cong, BJP spar over Rahul's reported 'Muslim party' remarks

The BJP today accused the Congress of trying to create a "partition-like situation", with the opposition party hitting back by saying that the saffron party was the one seeking to polarise people and divert attention from "real issues".

In a sharp attack on Rahul Gandhi over his remarks reported in an Urdu daily that the Congress was a Muslim party, senior BJP leader Nirmala Sitharaman said he should clarify his comments and that he was on a course-correction.

"This needs to be clarified, probably he wants to say that to call himself a Janeu-dhari (a Hindu who wears the sacred thread) was wrong, probably he wants to say now he is Muslim dhari," she told a press conference.

The Congress has dismissed the media report as a "rumour" and asserted that it was a party of 132 crore Indians.

Sitharaman alleged that the Congress was "playing up the card of religion and communal division" and it may lead to the kind of division and communal disharmony which prevailed during the partition in 1947.

She said there is a pattern in which Congress leaders such as Shashi Tharoor are making statements, aimed to divide the the country on religious lines.

"The Congress party's professing to minority appeasement has now reached a crescendo," she said.

Sitharaman also said that the opposition party would be solely responsible if any disharmony plays out between now and 2019 Lok Sabha elections.

Hitting back at Sitharaman's remarks, Congress spokesperson Sushmita Dev said it was expected that with just days to go for the monsoon session of Parliament, the defence minister would take up issues which are "unnecessarily to create a controversy and move away people's attention from real issues".

"I request Nirmala Sitharaman ji that till today you have not borthered to answer to the nation about the 58,000 crore deal of Rafale which is the biggest scam. If you have the courage in this monsoon session please make a suo moto statement and reply to the nation that how the defence ministry has conducted the biggest scam under your nose," Dev said.

Through her press meet today, the defence minister is trying to create tensions between people of different religions, the Congress MP said.

The Congress as a party has fought for the freedom of India, it has has stood by the Constitution and is a party that is inclusive, she asserted