Energy Minister Anil Vij Burns Effigy of Mallikarjun Kharge in Ambala Cantonment, Says Country Will Not Tolerate Insult to Prime Minister*

*‘Anarchy in the Name of “Change the Regime” Will Not Be Tolerated’ — Anil Vij*

*Remarks Mocking a ‘Tea Seller’ Insult Poor and Hardworking People — Vij*

*Anil Vij Slams Congress for Dragging the Prime Minister’s Parents into Politics*

*Vij Targets Congress, Claiming It Has Lost Power in 22 States*

*Vij Expresses Concern Over Proposed November 1 Rally in Delhi, Raises Law-and-Order Fears, Says People of India Are Aware*

*Anil Vij Launches Sharp Attack on Congress, Says It Must Restrain Its Language and Thinking*

Chandigarh, October 26: Haryana Energy, Transport and Labour Minister Anil Vij today burned an effigy of Congress national president Mallikarjun Kharge in Ambala Cantonment. He said the country would never tolerate the alleged insult to Prime Minister Narendra Modi by Kharge the previous day, particularly the remarks involving the Prime Minister’s father.

Vij further said that attempts to create anarchy in the country under the slogan of “Change the Regime” would not be tolerated on Indian soil. Advising the Congress, he said, “By all means, engage in politics, but also respect the culture of this country. If opposition leaders want to express their views, they should do so in a dignified and culturally appropriate manner.”

After burning the effigy of Congress national president Mallikarjun Kharge in Ambala Cantonment, Vij addressed BJP workers and other people present at the site. On the occasion, he raised slogans against the Congress, including, “Badmiz Congress, Piti hui Congress” and “yeh ki hoya, Kharge Moya Moya.”

Speaking on the occasion, Energy Minister Anil Vij said that India is a democracy where different political parties are entitled to hold differing opinions. Reviewing the functioning of the government and examining its policies are legitimate rights of every opposition party. However, Vij said, opposition must also observe certain standards and ethical boundaries. He alleged that the Congress and other opposition parties had been rejected by the people across the country.

*The People Have Wiped Out Congress in 22 States — Vij*

Vij claimed that the people of the country had wiped out the Congress from 22 states. He said the continued presence of BJP governments in the country had left the Congress so frustrated that it had lost its mental balance. Vij said the Congress sometimes mocks the Prime Minister by calling him a tea seller. He asked whether earning a living by selling tea and supporting one’s family was a crime. Millions of people in India sell tea, work as street vendors, drive rickshaws, operate roadside stalls, work in shops and earn their livelihoods in factories. Are these occupations crimes, he asked, adding that hardworking people should have every opportunity to rise to the position of Prime Minister. Vij questioned whether the office of Prime Minister was reserved only for people such as Rahul Gandhi, who were born into privilege, with a “silver spoon in their mouths.” He alleged that by making such remarks, the Congress was insulting millions of hardworking Indians.

*The Beauty of Democracy Is That Anyone Can Rise to the Highest Office — Vij*

Vij said that if the opposition mocks the fact that a tea seller became Prime Minister, it is actually overlooking the beauty of democracy, which allows a person from any background to rise to the highest office in the country. He alleged that opposition leaders had, at times, used abusive language against the Prime Minister’s mother. Referring to the recent Bihar elections, Vij claimed that objectionable remarks had been made about the late mother of the Prime Minister from a Congress platform. He further alleged that Kharge had crossed the line by making remarks involving the Prime Minister’s father the previous day, adding that the country would never tolerate such an insult.

*Parents Are Considered Equivalent to Gods in Indian Culture — Vij*

Vij said that Indian culture upholds the principles of “Matru Devo Bhava” and “Pitru Devo Bhava,” which mean that one’s mother and father should be revered like deities. He questioned why anyone’s parents needed to be dragged into political disputes and why a person’s means of earning a livelihood should be mocked simply because they come from an ordinary family. Recalling an incident from a visit to Ahmedabad, Vij said he was sitting in a shop when an ordinary-looking gentleman came in and sat there as well. The shopkeeper introduced the man to Vij and told him that he was Narendra Modi’s brother. Vij described him as a simple person who lived like an ordinary citizen. He said it was inappropriate for the Congress to insult a person who, according to him, had worked tirelessly day and night to elevate the country.

*India Is Reaching New Heights Under Prime Minister Narendra Modi — Vij*

Vij said that under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, India was reaching new heights and Indians were being viewed with respect and dignity abroad. He claimed that approximately 35 countries had conferred their highest national honours on the Prime Minister. He also referred to an incident in which, he said, a foreign country's prime minister touched Modi’s feet, describing it as a mark of the respect being accorded to the Indian leader internationally. Vij criticised opposition parties, describing them as defeated political forces that had been rejected by the electorate. He said that if any party wanted a “change of regime,” it should approach the people, explain its policies, point out shortcomings in the government’s programmes and win public support. He said there was nothing wrong with an opposition party winning elections and forming a government. However, he warned that using the slogan “Change the Regime” to create anarchy would not be tolerated on Indian soil.

*The People of India Are Aware and Vote According to Their Own Will — Vij*

Vij said that recent opposition activities had raised concerns, alleging that Delhi had effectively been brought to a standstill on an earlier occasion. He said the opposition had now decided to gather lakhs of people in Delhi on November 1. Referring to the anti-Sikh violence in Delhi in 1984, following the assassination of former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi on October 31, Vij recalled the controversial remark attributed to then Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi: “When a big tree falls, the earth shakes.” Vij said the statement had been used to justify what happened at the time. Vij expressed concern about the proposed gathering, alleging that there was a risk of violence similar to incidents witnessed in France, Bangladesh and Nepal. He suggested that the opposition might be seeking to provoke comparable unrest in India. These were Vij’s allegations and concerns. He said the people of India were politically aware and exercised their voting rights according to their own judgment and choice. Vij also took a dig at the Congress, saying that while mourning in his religious tradition lasted 13 days, the Congress appeared to have been mourning its political setbacks for 13 years, holding repeated gatherings to express its grief.

*Congress Is a Party of the British; the British Left and Handed Power to ‘Black Englishmen’ — Vij*

Vij warned the Congress to exercise restraint in its language, actions and thinking, saying that the country would never forgive those who disrespected its culture. He reiterated that political differences should be expressed in a dignified manner. Taking a swipe at the Congress, Vij made a controversial remark, calling it an “illegitimate offspring of the British.” He claimed that the Congress had not been founded by Indians but had been established by the British in 1885. He further argued that the word “Congress” was English rather than an Indian-language term. He alleged that when the British left India, they handed power to what he described as “black Englishmen,” claiming that the close ties between Congress leaders and the British were well known and documented in published books. Vij also referred to accounts concerning Congress leaders and Lady Mountbatten, asserting that the Congress was a party associated with British influence. He contrasted the word “Congress” with “Bharatiya Janata Party,” which he described as an Indian political identity.

*Vij Raises Anti-Congress Slogans*

On the occasion, Vij raised slogans such as “Congress, the party of the British,” “British, go back,” and “Congress, go back.” He again advised Congress leaders to retreat to their “nests” and said the effigy-burning protest was an expression of the anger felt by millions of Indians over what he alleged was Kharge’s insult to Prime Minister Narendra Modi the previous day. Vij said the protest had been organised by burning the effigy of Congress national president Mallikarjun Kharge to register opposition to the alleged remarks.