'Blood on Congress' hand' remark: Will protect leaders like Salman Khurshid, says Rahul Gandhi

New Delhi: Reacting to senior party leader Salman Khurshid's remarks, Congress chief Rahul Gandhi on Sunday said he would allow different voices to flourish within the organisation. At the same time, he stressed that all must present a united face when it comes to fighting forces like the RSS.

This was Rahul's first public comments on recent dissenting opinions expressed by senior party leader Khurshid. 

Addressing the party's 'jan aakrosh' rally at the Ramlila Maidan, with the former union law minister in the audience, he said the party will respect its experienced and young leaders and workers alike. Action will be taken against anybody who shows disrespect to own party colleagues, Rahul added.

"I want to give an example. Salman Khurshid ji is sitting here. A few days back, he voiced opinions which were against the party line. I am ready to accept from this platform that there will be different opinions in our party and that I will allow different opinions to flourish in the party," he told the gathering.

Rahul further said he will protect people like Khurshid, who has opinions different from the party's. "But, I do want to say something that when the party is fighting against the RSS, then we will have to do so with unity and love," he said.

I respect differences of opinion and will protect any dissenters. However, the BJP neither appreciates different opinions nor does it respect its own elders: Congress President @RahulGandhi #JanAakroshRally — Congress (@INCIndia) April 29, 2018

Targeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP chief Amit Shah, Rahul said they would never say something like this. This is mainly because only two people are respected in the ruling party, PM Modi and Shah, he alleged.

"Neither Arun Jaitley ji nor LK Advani ji nor their CMs will be respected in their party. In their party, only Narendra Modi and Amit Shah will be respected, Rahul said.

Reacting to Rahul's statement, Khurshid said, "Modi (PM) should learn from Rahul Gandhi how to respect ideas and reach out to supporters." He also took a dig at the BJP.

Modi should learn from Congress President Rahul Gandhi how to respect ideas and reach out to supporters. Should learn also how to grasp truth and build politics of Aastha grounded in Satya. Aakrosh rally becomes Inspirational Moment — Salman Khurshid (@salman7khurshid) April 29, 2018

Severe indigestion for BJP cheer leaders today. Their enemy is Truth and there is much Truth around now. — Salman Khurshid (@salman7khurshid) April 29, 2018

The impeachment notice against Chief Justice of India Dipak Misra given by seven Opposition parties led by Congress did not have the backing of Khurshid, a former law minister. He had said he was not kept in the loop on the impeachment notice.

Also, a controversy had erupted over Khurshid's remarks that the party's hands were 'stained with blood', prompting the Congress to quickly distance itself from the comment.

It had said it disagreed completely with him and had requested its leaders to refrain from making such "unfounded" statements that "help the cause" of the party in power.

"It is a political question. There is blood on our hands. I am also a part of the Congress so let me say it, we have blood on our hands," Khurshid had said in response to a student accusing the Congress of having Muslim blood on its hands and asking how the party proposed to wash it off, at an event in Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) in Uttar Pradesh on April 22, 2018, PTI reported.

After a controversy erupted over the issue, Khurshid had hit out at the media and had said it saddened him as it questioned the right to speak the truth.

Media saddens. They question right to speak truth. They distort reply to isolated hostile question by imputing confession instead of reporting ‘despite allegations would you deny our duty to protect you from harm?’ Sensationalism for profit? — Salman Khurshid (@salman7khurshid) April 24, 2018

People who object to colour of a terrorist still see different colour in the blood of victims of hate. Jaundiced eyes, stone hearts, vampire DNA, filthy vocabulary, ugly thoughts. Pity the leader who counts them as friends. Who needs enemies? — Salman Khurshid (@salman7khurshid) April 24, 2018

Never cease to be shocked about BJP moral bankruptcy and lack of faith in own political ideology. Like lesser animals behave like carrion rather than hunters. Distort truth or feed on another’s distortion. Selling souls in India — Salman Khurshid (@salman7khurshid) April 25, 2018

Meanwhile, Rahul launched a fusillade on PM Modi and his government on Sunday, questioning why the country's 'chowkidar' was silent on issues of graft and weakening of institutions.

Addressing the rally at Ramlila Maidan, he sought to compare the performance of the governments led by his party with that of the Modi dispensation at the Centre.

Rahul claimed that the Congress united all sections of society and spread love in 70 years unlike the BJP, which allegedly attacked Dalits and minorities. Rahul charged that farmers were under stress, but their loans were not written off by the government, which, he added, waived of debts of corporate houses. 

(With PTI inputs)