'Bharat Jodo' with 'Bharat todo' icons: BJP attacks Rahul Gandhi over meeting with controversial Tamil pastor

With the ‘t-shirt jibe’ still afresh, senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi came under yet another attack from the BJP over meeting with controversial Tamil pastor George Ponniah on Friday.

A video clip surfaced on Saturday where Rahul Gandhi is interacting with the controversial catholic priest. In the video that went viral, Gandhi asks Ponniah "Jesus Christ is a form of God? Is that right?".

The pastor replies “He is the real God. God reveals him(self) as a man, a real person...not like Shakti...so we see a human person."

BJP leaders asked whether Congress’ Bharat Jodo Yatra is `Bharat Jodo with Bharat Todo icons’. Hitting back, the Congress accused the BJP of spreading “mischievous lies”.

Tamil pastor Ponniah has a history of delivering provocative statements which have landed him in trouble in the past. Last year in July, he was arrested for alleged ‘hate speech’ against Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah, DMK minister and others in Madurai’s Kallikudi.

BJP national spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla took a swipe at Rahul Gandhi`s meeting with the priest, saying, "Bharat Jodo with Bharat Todo icons?"

"If meeting a controversial pastor, who is known for his visceral disdain for the majority community and their beliefs, Rahul Gandhi`s idea of "Bharat Jodo", then this Yatra is nothing but a sham. How can indulging faith supremacists serve the larger society and bring cohesion?" BJP leader Amit Malviya said in a tweet.

Responding to the BJP, Congress leader Jairam Ramesh said, “It is a completely bogus video. What was said in the conversation has nothing to do with the tweet. We have issued the full text of what was said. It is typical mischievous lies being spread by the BJP to damage the spirit of Bharat Jodo Yatra." 

READ | Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma demands Telangana government take action on Hyderabad security breach incident

(With inputs from ANI)