Giriraj Singh targets Congress over Zakir Naik, stone-pelters
Synopsis
Union Textiles Minister Giriraj Singh accused Congress of patronising fugitive preacher Zakir Naik and stone-pelters, invoking a charged post-Partition slogan to paint the opposition as an enabler of anti-India ideology — sharpening a long-running BJP attack line on national security.
Key Takeaways
Giriraj Singh posted on 22 October 2026 calling Congress the 'master' ( aaka ) of Zakir Naik and stone-pelters.
He invoked the slogan 'Hans ke liya Pakistan, lad ke lenge Hindustan' to frame Congress as emboldening separatist ideology.
Zakir Naik has been based in Malaysia since 2016 amid Indian charges of hate speech and money laundering, which he denies.
The 'stone-pelters' reference echoes long-running BJP rhetoric about Congress leniency toward unrest in Kashmir .
No legislative or policy announcement accompanied the post; the salvo is entirely political in nature.
A formal Congress response, if any, will signal whether the exchange escalates beyond social media.
A slogan that has haunted Indian politics for decades — 'hans ke liya Pakistan, lad ke lenge Hindustan' ('Pakistan was taken with a smile; we will take Hindustan by fighting') — was back at the centre of a sharp political salvo on Thursday, 22 October 2026, when Union Textiles Minister Giriraj Singh levelled a direct accusation at the Indian National Congress, calling the party the patron of fugitive Islamic preacher Zakir Naik and of stone-pelters.
In a post on X, Singh wrote: 'Zakir Naik aur pattharbazon ka aaka hai Congress!' — translated: 'Congress is the master of Zakir Naik and stone-pelters!' He added that it is under Congress's 'encouragement' that people harbouring the toxic ideology captured in that infamous slogan 'continue to flourish even today.'
Who is Zakir Naik — and why does his name keep surfacing?
Zakir Naik is an Indian Islamic television preacher who left India in 2016 and has since been based in Malaysia. Indian agencies charged him with alleged money laundering and promoting enmity between religious communities; he has consistently denied wrongdoing. His name became a flashpoint after his videos were reported to have influenced individuals linked to terror incidents abroad, making him a recurring reference point in BJP's political messaging against the Congress on matters of national security and communal harmony.
The phrase 'stone-pelters' in Singh's post is a well-worn reference to unrest in Kashmir, where civilian stone-throwing at security forces was a documented flashpoint for years. BJP leaders have long used the phrase to accuse the Congress of treating such incidents with excessive leniency rather than firmness.
The slogan that makes this charge particularly sharp
The couplet Singh invoked is among the most charged pieces of rhetoric in post-Partition Indian politics. 'Hans ke liya Pakistan, lad ke lenge Hindustan' — attributed to hardline voices who opposed the 1947 Partition settlement — has periodically resurfaced whenever politicians want to signal the stakes of what they describe as unfinished separatist ideology. By invoking it alongside Zakir Naik, Singh frames the Congress not merely as soft on dissent but as an active enabler of a revisionist, anti-India worldview.
Congress in BJP's crosshairs on minority appeasement
This is a well-established BJP attack line — one that predates 2014 but has been deployed with increasing frequency since then. The party's core argument is that Congress's electoral dependence on minority vote banks has made it structurally incapable of taking tough positions against radical preaching or separatist sympathisers. Congress has consistently rejected this framing as communal scaremongering designed to polarise voters.
Singh — a senior BJP leader, Lok Sabha MP from Begusarai, Bihar, and a minister known for making blunt, headline-grabbing statements — is one of the party's most consistent voices on this front. His post carries no legislative or policy announcement; its weight is entirely rhetorical, aimed squarely at shaping the national-security conversation.
Whether Congress chooses to respond — and how — will determine whether this exchange remains a one-day social-media flash or escalates into a full parliamentary floor fight.
Point of View
Internationally controversial figure (Zakir Naik), attach the party to a viscerally charged post-Partition slogan, and dare the opposition to defend itself. The timing — well outside an election cycle — suggests the party is keeping this narrative warm as a baseline political position rather than responding to a specific trigger. Congress faces the familiar dilemma of either engaging and amplifying the charge or staying silent and letting it settle as unchallenged framing. For Singh personally, whose political identity is built around muscular Hindu-nationalist positioning, this kind of post reinforces his brand with the BJP's core base at zero legislative cost.
NationPress
22 Oct 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
What did Giriraj Singh say about Congress and Zakir Naik?
On 22 October 2026 , Singh posted on X calling Congress the 'master' ( aaka ) of fugitive preacher Zakir Naik and of stone-pelters, accusing the party of encouraging people who hold anti-India separatist ideology.
Who is Zakir Naik and why is he controversial in India?
Zakir Naik is an Indian Islamic televangelist who left India in 2016 and settled in Malaysia . Indian agencies accused him of hate speech and money laundering; his videos were reportedly linked to individuals involved in terror incidents abroad. He denies all charges.
What does the slogan 'Hans ke liya Pakistan, lad ke lenge Hindustan' mean?
The phrase translates to 'Pakistan was taken with a smile; we will take Hindustan by fighting.' It is attributed to hardline voices from the post- 1947 Partition era and is periodically invoked in Indian politics to signal fears of unfinished separatist ideology.
What is BJP's long-standing charge against Congress on minority appeasement?
BJP has argued since before 2014 that Congress's dependence on minority vote banks prevents it from taking tough action against radical preaching or separatist sympathisers. Congress rejects this as communal polarisation tactics.
Has Congress responded to Giriraj Singh's post?
No formal Congress response has been reported following Singh's 22 October 2026 post. Whether the party engages will determine if the exchange escalates to a parliamentary debate.
