Kollam (Keralam) [India], September 5 (ANI): Congress MP K C Venugopal on Saturday criticised the BJP and RSS, alleging that the politics of 'bigotry' being pursued by them was among the biggest challenges facing the country.

Reacting to the alleged 'purification' ritual conducted at a place where Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge had delivered a speech, Venugopal said such practices were 'deeply disturbing' and amounted to promoting untouchability.

Speaking to reporters, Venugopal said, 'Isn't this one of the biggest problems facing the country today? Conducting a 'purification' ritual at a place where a leader like Mallikarjun Kharge had delivered a speech is deeply disturbing. Kerala is a land of renaissance. We have heard of such practices from the period before the social reform movements.'

'They are adopting an approach that amounts to practising untouchability even against the Congress president and the Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha, and then they are trying to justify it. When Rahul Gandhi questioned this, an FIR was registered against him. You must understand that the politics of such bigotry being pursued by the BJP and the Sangh Parivar is one of the biggest problems facing this country,' he added.

The remarks come amid heightened political exchanges over the alleged 'shuddhikaran' ritual conducted at Haldwani's Ramlila Ground following a Congress rally addressed by Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on August 8.

Targeting the Centre on economic issues, Venugopal said, 'They have nothing to say about the unemployment crisis faced by young people. The economic situation is extremely poor, yet they are presenting a GDP figure that has been artificially inflated. We have seen Narendra Modi's obsession with GDP. It is an inflated GDP.'

He also accused the government of diverting attention from real issues through controversies over Vande Mataram.

'To conceal and divert attention from these real issues, the Vice President is directing that Vande Mataram should be sung at his programmes and that it should be sung in full. The Governor is also issuing similar directions. Why is this being done? This has nothing to do with patriotism. These are merely attempts to push genuine issues aside and create controversies. Understand that this is the DNA of this government; this is the DNA of the BJP. The struggle taking place in India today is against this kind of politics," he added. 

His remarks came a day after Prime Minister Narendra Modi hailed India's 7.8 per cent real GDP growth in the first quarter of FY27 and said it reflected the 'collective strength' of the people.

In a video message posted on X, PM Modi congratulated people for their hard work and said India had maintained its growth momentum despite global challenges, including conflicts, crises and disrupted supply chains.

'A growth rate of 7.8%--the nation is filled with joy. I congratulate the people of this country for their resolve and their industrious spirit; this reflects our collective strength,' PM Modi said.

The Prime Minister also criticised the Opposition, accusing it of 'spreading despair' and 'echoing falsehoods'. He called for maintaining the growth momentum and emphasised the importance of building an 'Atmanirbhar Bharat'. PM Modi also called for greater emphasis on domestic products and local consumption under the mantra of 'Swadeshi, Vocal for Local'.

According to data released by the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI), India's real GDP grew 7.8 per cent in Q1 FY27, covering the April-June period. (ANI)