Lucknow (Uttar Pradesh) [India], June 19 : Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Brajesh Pathak on Friday launched a blistering attack on the Congress party, condemning recent attempts by party leaders to equate Rahul Gandhi with Lord Parashurama.
Describing the comparison as a sign that Congress leaders have "lost their sanity," Pathak asserted that such statements are a grave affront to religious sentiments.
Speaking to reporters in Lucknow, the Deputy Chief Minister emphasised that Lord Parashurama is revered as a divine incarnation and cannot be compared to any political figure.
"The Congress party leaders have lost their sanity. Lord Parashurama is the incarnation of the universal God. Equating Rahul Gandhi with Lord Parashurama will cost them dearly; this is simply not possible," Pathak stated, questioning how someone who has allegedly opposed Sanatan Dharma could be placed on such a pedestal.
Pathak further escalated his criticism by citing historical grievances against the Congress party, accusing them of a long-standing pattern of hostility toward Hindu traditions. He recalled an incident on Gopashtami when, according to him, the party's predecessors were responsible for a violent crackdown on cow vigilantes and saints in New Delhi.
"Rahul Gandhi knows full well that his ancestors were the ones who, on Gopashtami, lathi-charged cow vigilantes and saints, drenching the area around the Parliament House in New Delhi with blood," he alleged.
The senior BJP leader also targeted the Congress over its previous legal and ideological stance regarding Hindu deities. "It was these same predecessors, under their own government, who considered Lord Rama to be imaginary," Pathak noted, challenging the former Congress chief to reflect on his party's history.
Concluding his remarks, Pathak urged Rahul Gandhi to stop targeting cultural heritage. "Rahul Gandhi, please introspect: you have always been hurting Sanatan Sanskriti, so how can you ever be compared to Lord Parashurama?" the Deputy CM added.
The remarks mark a significant intensification of the political war of words between the ruling BJP and the opposition, highlighting the ongoing ideological friction surrounding cultural nationalism in the state.
Meanwhile, Rahul Gandhi was born on June 19, 1970, at Holy Family Hospital in the national capital and was the first of two children born to Rajiv Gandhi, who later served as the 6th prime minister of India, and Sonia Gandhi, who went on to become the Congress president.
He is currently serving as the 12th LoP in the Lok Sabha and as a member of the lower house for Uttar Pradesh's Rae Bareli constituency since June 2024.
He earlier represented the constituency of Wayanad, Kerala, from 2019 to 2024 and Amethi, Uttar Pradesh, from 2004 to 2019. Gandhi served as the party president of Congress from December 2017 to July 2019.