BJP MP Kiren Rijiju calls Rahul Gandhi’s yatra a failed re-launch attempt

New Delhi (PTI): Union minister Kiren Rijiju advised Rahul Gandhi on Thursday to stop pursuing endeavors that are beyond his capabilities as he claimed that the Congress has failed in every attempt to re-launch his political innings.

In a video interview to PTI, Rijiju said had he faced similar failures as the Gandhi scion, he would not have wasted the "precious time" of his party and colleagues in trying to do something that was not doable.

The three-term Lok Sabha member from Arunachal Pradesh claimed that the Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra is yet another attempt to launch Gandhi and that the former Congress president has failed in that endeavour miserably.

"Elsewhere in the world, you do not get a second chance to be launched. I think he (Gandhi) has now been launched 19 times. How long will you keep on launching one person?" asked Rijiju, who has held diverse portfolios in the central government, including home affairs (minister of state), minority affairs, sports and youth affairs, law and now, earth sciences.

"Normally, suppose I fail to lead my party, neither the party people will keep trying to launch me again and spoil their precious time nor I, myself, will try to waste the precious time of my colleagues," he said.

"It works both ways. Parties should not do something that is not doable and the person concerned should also not try for something that he is not capable of," the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader said, citing the examples of British politicians who bowed out of politics after being unsuccessful.

Rijiju alleged that Gandhi is full of hatred towards Prime Minister Narendra Modi and spews venom at him at every given opportunity.

Asked about the Congress leader's comments on the Ram temple in Ayodhya, the Union minister accused Gandhi of harbouring hatred towards the Hindu culture.

"He hates Hinduism or Hindutva. He and his party have stated in the Supreme Court that Ram was a figment of imagination. Their thought process is already known to the world. So whatever statement he gives, it flows out of his hatred for the Hindu culture," he said when asked about the Congress leader's claims about the politicisation of the Ram temple issue.

Rijiju alleged that "sponsored by anti-India groups", Gandhi undermines India's image abroad and criticises the country's culture and constitutional authorities.

"He spews venom at Prime Minister Modi and the Indian culture. Whenever he goes to the United States or England or anywhere, sponsored by those anti-India groups, he attacks India's culture, constitutional organisations and authorities," the minister said.

"He (Gandhi) wants to destroy India's image. How much hatred he has for Modiji, it is so visible. Everyday, he speaks with hatred. I have never seen a man imbibing so much hatred for another person. The amount of hatred Rahul Gandhi carries for Modiji cannot be measured and described in words," the Union minister said.

Rijiju praised Modi's humble background and rise to global leadership while expressing pride in having the "most popular elected leader worldwide".

"What can be a matter of more pride for any Indian? And despite that, these people want to attack Modiji," he said.