'Even Mughals Couldn't': PM Hits Back on Kharge's 'Ram vs Shiv' Remark During Gujarat Rally

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched a scathing attack on Congress over party chief Mallikarjun Kharge's remark on ‘Shiv and Ram’. He was addressing a poll rally in Gujarat's Surendranagar. PM Modi said that the Congress party is making attempts to discriminate between faiths of the Hindu religion. 

Prime Minister said that the statement by Mallikarjun Kharge was given with malicious intent, adding that it had the potential to create differences between the devotees of Lord Ram and Lord Shiv. He said that even Mughals could not break the faiths and traditions of the Hindus, alleging that the Congress leaders was trying to do it. 

“Congress is trying to discriminate between Hindu faiths. Mallikarjun Kharge has given a very dangerous statement related to Lord Ram and Lord Shiv. That statement is given with malicious intent. This is to create animosity between Shiv and Ram devotees... These are thousands of year-old traditions that even the Mughals could not break, how will Congress do it,” said PM Modi while addressing a poll rally in Gujarat's Surendranagar. 

He also raked up Rahul Gandhi's remarks on ‘destroying Shakti’, adding that the devotees of Shakti would never forgive him. "A month ago, their Shehzada said that he would destroy Shakti... We are the worshippers of Shakti... Shehzada said that he would destroy Shakti. Can the devotees of Shakti forgive this?..." said PM. 

What Mallikarjun Kharge said on Shiv and Ram? 

BJP leaders have been attacking the Congress party over Mallikarjun Kharge's recent remarks on Shiv and Ram. The Congress president, while addressing a poll rally in Chhattisgarh, had said that the Congress candidate could take on the BJP as he is Shiv. He was campaigning for Shivakumar Dahariya, who has been fielded by Congress from the Champa Lok Sabha seat. 

“This candidate is Shivkumar Dahariya. His name is Shivkumar – barabar ye Ram ka muqabla kar sakta hai kyunki ye Shiv hai (He can give tough fight to Lord Ram because he is Shiv),” the Congress president said during the rally. 

"I am Mallikarjun. Main bhi Shiv hoon…Don’t lure people through religious talks. People are clever,” he said in an apparent reference to Ram Mandir in Ayodhya.