Purnea (Bihar) [India], November 5 (ANI): Senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Syed Shahnawaz Hussain on Wednesday lashed out at Congress MP and Leader of Opposition (LoP) in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi over his remarks on the Indian Army, accusing him of 'speaking the language of an urban naxal.'

Speaking to ANI, Hussain demanded an apology from the Congress leader, alleging that his comments had 'lowered the morale' of the armed forces.

'Rahul Gandhi is speaking the language of an urban naxal. What kind of language is he speaking? He has not spared even the Army. Rahul Gandhi should apologise to the nation. By doing this, he has lowered the Army's morale. The public will never forgive him for this,' Hussain stated.

Targeting both the Congress and the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), Hussain said, 'Lalu ji wants to make his son the CM and Sonia ji wants to make her son the PM, but neither the CM nor the PM posts are vacant. The PM will continue to serve the country for a long time. In Bihar, the NDA is contesting the elections under the leadership of Nitish Kumar and will form the government. Amit Shah ji has said that NDA will win 160-180 seats. Rahul Gandhi cannot be seen campaigning.'

His remarks followed Rahul Gandhi's comments on the Indian Army, which sparked controversy in Bihar's Kutumba ahead of the Assembly elections.

In an election campaign rally on Tuesday, Gandhi claimed that the Indian Army is 'under the control of 10% of the country's population,' apparently referring to the dominance of upper castes in the institution.

He highlighted the issue of economic inequality in India, stating that despite 90% of the population belonging to marginalised communities, including Dalits, Mahadalits, backward classes, and minorities, they are underrepresented in corporate India, bureaucracy, judiciary, and other key institutions.

'All the bank's money goes to them, they get all the jobs, and they even dominate most positions in bureaucracy. They control everything. Look at the judiciary. They handle everything there, too. They even have control over the army. And you will not find 90% of the population anywhere,' Rahul Gandhi said.

Gandhi noted that the 500 largest companies in India, including Adani and Ambani, are predominantly owned by individuals from a small elite group, comprising only 10% of the population. He alleged that this group controls a disproportionate amount of wealth, bank loans, and influential positions in various sectors.

'In this country, 90% belong to Dalit, Mahadalit, backward, extremely backward, tribal, and minority groups. But if you look at the 500 biggest companies in corporate India, such as Adani and Ambani, you will not find backward, extremely backward, Dalit, Mahadalit, minority, or tribal individuals there. All of them come from 10% of the population,' Gandhi had said.

Voting for the first phase of the Bihar Assembly elections in 121 constituencies will take place on November 6 (Thursday), while the second phase covering 122 constituencies will be held on November 11. The counting of votes is scheduled for November 14. (ANI)