MoS Anurag Thakur stokes controversy after 'Goli Maaro Saalon Ko’ slogans at Delhi rally

Minister of State (MoS) for Finance, Anurag Thakur, was on January 27 caught on camera making inflammatory comments during a rally in New Delhi's Rithala area.

According to reports, Thakur, who was addressing a rally ahead of the February 8 polls in the national capital, chanted "Desh ke gaddaron ko..." while clapping his hands over his head, to which the crowd replied with "Goli maaron saalon ko" chants (taken together, the chants translate to "shoot the traitors of the nation").

According to reports, Union Minister Giriraj Singh was also present on stage and they were later joined by Home Minister Amit Shah at the same venue.

The slogan used by Thakur is frequently raised by right-wing organisations and it was also reportedly heard during the January 5 attack on teachers and students at the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) campus in New Delhi. The police are yet to make any arrests in the case.

Thakur's comments also come five days before the central government is scheduled to present its annual Union Budget.

These slogans were also reportedly raised during Shah's rally on January 26, though the party had at that time distanced itself from the chants. The party's Delhi unit chief, Manoj Tiwari, had reportedly said neither he nor the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) support such remarks.