Congress hatching conspiracy to insult Indian culture, identity: Anurag Thakur

New Delhi: Stepping up heat on the opposition over the north-south divide remarks, Union Minister Anurag Thakur on Wednesday accused the Congress of hatching a conspiracy to insult Indian culture and identity, instead of analysing the reasons for its defeat in the elections.

Addressing a press conference here, he also questioned the silence of senior Congress leaders Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi on the issue and wondered whether the remarks on the north-south divide, reference to north India as "gaumutra states" and criticism of Sanatan Dharma had their sanction.

"Prime Minister Narendra Modi is spreading the message of 'Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam' but the opposition has started using foul language and blaming the EVMs and regionalism for their loss in the assembly elections in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh," the senior BJP leader said.

"The Congress doesn't believe in constitutional institutions. After facing defeat, they never analyse the reason for the defeat. They keep blaming EVMs and insult Sanatan Dharma, Hindus and Hindu culture," said Thakur, the Union Information and Broadcasting Minister.

He said that during the election campaign, Congress raised the issues of casteism and religion, and when it did not work the opposition party was now resorting to a north-south divide.

"Congress-led 'ghamandia' (arrogant) alliance is leaving no stone unturned to insult Hindu, Hindi and Sanatan Dharma," Thakur alleged.

His remarks came a day after the DMK's Lok Sabha member DNV Senthil Kumar's description of the Hindi heartland as "gaumutra" states.

Senthil Kumar's comments come in the backdrop of some referring to the recent assembly election results as reflective of the 'North-South divide' after the BJP trounced the Congress in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh, and the Congress won in Telangana.

"What is the Congress' compulsion to stick with the DMK which has been insulting Hindi, Hindus and Sanatana Dharma," Thakur wondered.

The minister recalled that even chief minister-designate of Telangana A Revanth Reddy had made comments that his "Telangana DNA was better than the Bihar DNA" of his rivals. Thakur said Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin and his son Udhaynidhi had also made remarks insulting Sanatana Dharma.

Thakur claimed the trend of fuelling a north-south divide started with Rahul Gandhi's defeat in the Lok Sabha elections from Amethi in 2019.

Gandhi had made certain statements demeaning north Indians in his Lok Sabha seat of Wayanad after his electoral defeat in Amethi, Thakur alleged, adding the Congress leader had also made common cause with people who were keen to see India being divided into pieces.

"We had said back then that someone was standing with the 'tukde-tukde' gang. Now, the insulting comments by Congress' allies are sowing the seeds of dividing the country on regional lines. This reflects the real thinking of the Congress of divide and rule," Thakur added.