Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Monday said Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's appeasement politics starts and ends with Hindu hate, and all the members of the Opposition alliance follow his language.

Sitharaman said this in response to a statement by Gandhi, who is the leader of the opposition in the Lok Sabha.

While participating in the discussion on a Motion of Thanks on the President's address, Leader of Opposition Gandhi took a swipe at the BJP, saying those who call themselves Hindus are engaged in "violence and hate" round the clock, drawing massive protests from the members of the treasury benches, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi asserting that calling the entire Hindu society violent is a serious matter.

Gandhi, however, retorted that he was speaking about the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

The BJP, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) or Modi are not the entire Hindu society, he added.

"Sheer audacity of LoP @RahulGandhi to call everyone who calls himself Hindu as "hinsak"/violent shows @INCIndia's hatred and contempt towards Hindus. Also consistent with Hindu hate of his INDI Alliance partners. Hypocrisy in claiming "Mohabbat ki Dukaan" exposed," Sitharaman said in a post on X.

In another post, Sitharaman said, "Only right that @PMOIndia intervened in the debate and voiced his concern on the insensitivity of LoP's remarks. @INCIndia and @RahulGandhi's appeasement politics starts and ends with Hindu hate. No wonder his partners in INDI Alliance also follow his language".

In his speech in the Lok Sabha, which evoked repeated protests from the treasury benches, Rahul Gandhi said those who call themselves Hindus are engaged in "violence and hate". Intervening his speech, Modi asserted that calling the entire Hindu society violent is a serious matter.

"All religions and all our great men talk about non-violence and fearlessness, but those who call themselves Hindus only talk about violence, hatred and falsehood... Aap Hindu ho hi nahi (You are not Hindus)," he said.

Gandhi's dig at the BJP had the members of the treasury benches on their feet.

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