Rahul Gandhi’s statement on creating a separate fisheries ministry has again created controversy and the BJP has hit out at him calling him a “hate peddler”. Union Minister Giriraj Singh, whose ministry was under constant attack, spoke exclusively to The Sunday Guardian. Excerpts:
Q. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has again said a separate fisheries ministry will be created if his party comes to power at the Centre.
A. I can’t call him ignorant. See, he himself asked a question (in Parliament) to my Ministry on February 2 and my department had replied to that question. I can say that he had knowingly raised this issue in Pondicherry and now in Kerala because Assembly elections are round the corner in both of the states. His aim is to woo the fishermen community by spreading confusion. As per my understanding, this man consumes opium of myth and just spreads it in the people.
Q: He has also made a statement regarding the difference of political understanding of voters of North India and South India over the issues.
A: He only can think on the South India-North India line. When he goes to Assam, he peddles hate between East and West, when he goes to South, he peddles hate between South and North. It’s North India which gave his family a reputation, he represented Amethi in Lok Sabha for 15 years and now he is abusing it. If he wants to understand political awareness of people of North India, he should read about her Grandmother (Indira Gandhi). She had to impose Emergency to suppress political awareness of the people. All the citizens are equally aware, be it Kerala or be UP.
Q: Priyanka Gandhi Vadra is frequently visiting Kissan Panchayats. What’s your take on it?
A: All I want to say is that brother (Rahul) is peddling hatred in the fishermen community and sister is doing the same in the farmer’s community. Both of them are busy spreading lies. He does not know anything about fisheries or fishermen’s plight in their villages and his sister does not know what kind of crops are sown in the month of October. She only knows how to use farmers’ anger to spread hatred and politicise it. This is their well-planned strategy to spread hatred and lie.