Rahul Gandhi is not alone; millions of workers support him: CM Siddaramaiah

Bengaluru, Oct 1 (IANS) Responding to the alleged death threat to Rahul Gandhi by a BJP leader in Kerala, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said on Wednesday that the Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition was no longer alone, as he has the support of millions of workers who stand firmly behind him.

Taking social media X, CM Siddaramaiah stated, "A BJP spokesperson has openly issued a death threat, saying “We will shoot Rahul Gandhi in the chest, beware..!!” against the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, who has been consistently raising his voice against the BJP and Sangh Parivar. The silence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah over such a statement naturally raises the question of whether they, too, agree with it."

"Issuing threats to silence ideological opponents, and when that fails, eliminating them altogether, is nothing new for the BJP and Sangh Parivar. In the past, they stood behind the scenes and lent support to the killings of their opponents, but now they have descended directly into the arena. Those who cannot face their adversaries ideologically through dialogue and debate, resorting to physical elimination only exposes their intellectual bankruptcy," CM Siddaramaiah stated.

"Are the victims of the Sangh Parivar’s goons just one or two? This chain of killings, which began with Mahatma Gandhi, continues with Govind Pansare, Narendra Dabholkar, M.M. Kalburgi, and Gauri Lankesh -- the list goes on. Even if Sangh Parivar leaders deny any connection with these assassins and wash their hands of it, they cannot erase the bloodstains on their hands," CM Siddaramaiah said.

He further stated, "In the past, not only I but also many writers, thinkers, and activists in the country have received death threats through letters. The police are investigating these matters. But I am not someone who will abandon the ideology I believe in out of fear of such threats. I have faith that one day or the other, these evildoers will have to kneel before justice."

"This is not the first time Rahul Gandhi’s family has faced death threats. It was at the hands of such assassins that Rahul lost his grandmother and father. Let the BJP’s murderous mindset understand this -- Rahul Gandhi is no longer alone; he has the support of millions of workers standing firmly behind him," CM Siddaramaiah concluded.

It can be recalled that Pintu Mahadev allegedly issued a “chilling death threat” to Rahul Gandhi during a televised debate on News18 Kerala. Mahadev openly declared that “Rahul Gandhi will be shot in the chest.”

Congress has written to Union Home Minister and senior BJP leader Amit Shah over the death threat issued to Rahul Gandhi by one of the party’s spokespersons, Pintu Mahadev, on live television. The party has asked the Home Minister to take “immediate and strict” action against the BJP spokesperson.

--IANS

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