Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) chief Jagat Prakash Nadda said on Friday Congress Rahul Gandhi "has shown a pathetic and casteist mindset" by "comparing OBC communities to thieves". Nadda was referring to Gandhi's "Modi surname" remark while campaigning ahead of 2019 Lok Sabha polls.

While addressing a rally at Kolar in Karnataka ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, Gandhi had said: "How come all the thieves have Modi as the common surname?" He was referring to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and fugitives Nirav Modi and Lalit Modi.

Over this statement, a defamation case was filed against Gandhi by BJP MLA and former Gujarat minister Purnesh Modi. In the latest development in the case, Gandhi was sentenced to two years in jail by a Surat court on Thursday. He, however, was granted bail to file an appeal before a higher court, which has to be done in 30 days.

The Congress leaders conviction sparked nationwide protest by the party workers, who raised slogans, on Thursday. The party also planned a nationwide protest on Friday over the Surat court verdict and some of its leaders are likely to meet President Droupadi Murmu.

Meanwhile, explaining how Rahul Gandhi "reduced levels of political discourse", Nadda said, "Lies, personal slander and negative politics is integral to Mr Rahul Gandhi." The BJP national chief also mentioned Gandhi's "cooked up Rafale scam" in a series of tweets and said the alleged scam "faced a setback in the court of law".

Gandhi's "acerbic Chowkidar Chor Hai remarks were also not appreciated by the Supreme Court and for that HE APOLOGIZED", Nadda said.

"Now, Mr Rahul Gandhi calls the entire OBC community (referred to Modi community) thieves. He gets a flak in the courts but he refuses to apologise, thus showing how deep rooted his hatred for OBCs is. The people of India did not forgive him in 2019...in 2024 the punishment will be more severe," Nadda added.

First Published:Mar 24, 2023 10:03 AM IST