Amid the row over the Sanatan Dharma remarks by DMK leaders, Union Minister Anurag Thakur on Friday hit out at the opposition INDIA bloc accusing it of opening a "mega mall of hatred" under the garb of 'Mohabbat ki dukan' (shop of love).
"Leaders of the INDI Alliance say they want to eradicate the Sanatan Dharma and it is clear that Rahul Gandhi has given them a license to open 'Nafrat Ki Dukaan' (shop of hatred)," Thakur told a press conference here.
DMK leader Udhayanidhi Stalin recently caused a storm as he alleged that Sanatan Dharma is against social justice and that it should be eradicated. Likening Sanatan Dharma to coronavirus, malaria and fever caused by dengue virus and mosquitoes, Udhayanidhi Stalin -- the son of Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin -- said such things should not be opposed but destroyed.
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Days later DMK leader A Raja said Sanatan Dharma should be compared to diseases such as AIDS and leprosy that have a social stigma attached to them.
"I don't know about 'Mohabbat Ki Dukaan' (shop of love), but some people have surely opened a 'Nafrat Ka Megamall' (mega mall of hatred)," Thakur said at the press conference here.
The senior BJP leader also hit out at the Ashok Gehlot government in Rajasthan and claimed that the people were fed up with the Congress as the state had become "number one" in illegal mining, gang rape, paper leaks and crimes against the Dalits and tribals.
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"The public is fed up with the 'Gehloot' government and wants to get rid of it as soon as possible. In the true sense, the 'Iqbal' (power) of the chief minister has ended in Rajasthan," Thakur said.
He also hit out at the opposition alliance over its decision to boycott shows of 14 television anchors on several platforms.
"Indira Gandhi had tried to suppress freedom of speech and expression by suppressing the media. With the blessings of Sonia Gandhi, Kapil Sibal in the UPA government passed Section 66A (of the IT Act) without any discussion.
"It was a draconian law. And now this INDI Alliance is showing its dictatorial mentality by banning journalists. The ban on journalists is like Emergency 2.0," Thakur said.
-With PTI Input
