Union minister Chirag Paswan slammed Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Monday, saying the Congress leader started opposing the devotees of Lord Shiva in his attempt to oppose the government.
Paswan also accused the former Congress president of lowering the dignity of the post of the leader of opposition.
Asked about Gandhi's speech in the Lok Sabha, the Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) leader said no follower of Lord Shiva will tolerate the way he waved the Hindu god's picture in the Lok Sabha.
"The post of the leader of opposition has dignity. You cannot make statements like that," Paswan said outside the House.
"While opposing the government, he started opposing Shiv bhakts, I am one of them. I believe in Lord Shiva. The way you were waving Shiva's image in the House for your political benefits, no follower of Shiva will tolerate that," he added.
"He was saying don't be scared, don't scare people... It was a joke. He kept the picture on the table, kept papers on it, is this his faith," the Union minister asked.
Paswan also accused Gandhi of lowering the dignity of the post of the leader of opposition by making unsubstantiated allegations against the government.
"As the leader of opposition, you have a serious duty to corner the government on policy-related issues. You made all factually wrong remarks. On every remark, the minister concerned had to give a clarification," he added, referring to Gandhi.
"You twisted facts to mislead people, the same was done during the election. You set wrong narratives about the Constitution and reservations. This is not as per the dignity of the post. It is not right to make personal remarks," Paswan said.
In a fiery speech in the Lok Sabha earlier in the day, Gandhi launched a sharp attack on the ruling BJP, asserting that Hinduism is not about spreading fear, hatred and falsehoods.
The Congress leader also held up a picture of Lord Shiva and said his message is about fearlessness and non-violence. He also cited the teachings of other religions to make a similar point.
