Rahul 'pretending' to be religious to 'deceive' voters: BJP MP

BJP MP Anurag Thakur Saturday alleged Congress chief Rahul Gandhi was "pretending to be a religious person to deceive voters", adding that the Congress' "pretence" for "Hindu interests" made it clear that only those who talked of Hindus would rule the country.

The ongoing campaign for the Madhya Pradesh Assembly polls, slated for November 28, has seen the Congress projecting Gandhi as a 'Shiv bhakt' with the party chief offering prayers at several temples, including the revered Mahakaleshwar Temple in Ujjain.

"Rahul is pretending to be a religious person. The Congress did not remember 'janeu' (sacred thread worn by Hindus) in the last 70 years. But the Congress chief is now showing his thread to deceive voters," the Himachal MP, also the BJP's chief whip in Lok Sabha, said.

"Congress used to talk about Hindu terrorism and saffron terrorism earlier. But Rahul is repeatedly visiting temples now. This has made one thing clear that those who talk about interests of Hindus would rule the country. But the Congress is only pretending to be bothered about Hindu interests," Thakur said.

In reply to a question, the BJP MP from Hamirpur said, "Rahul alleges (liquor baron) Vijay Mallya, (diamantaires) Mehul Choksi and Nirav Modi fled the country after taking loans worth thousands of crore rupees from Indian banks. But these businessmen were close to the Congress during the UPA regime".

Speaking about alleged differences between senior Congress leaders Digvijaya Singh and Jyotiraditya Scindia on ticket distribution, Thakur said the "battle" within the opposition party had led to its failure in projecting a CM face for the state.

"The state Congress has been engaged in the battle of raja (Digvijaya) and maharaja (Scindia). It has even failed to decide about a chief ministerial face," the BJP leader said.

The counting of votes for the 230-member Madhya Pradesh Assembly polls will be held on December 11.