BJP Attacks Rahul Gandhi for “Speaking Language of Terrorists” as the LoP Calls Modi, Shah, RSS “Traitors”

Manas Dasgupta

NEW DELHI, May 20: The BJP hit back at the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi accusing him of speaking the “language of terrorists” as the Congress leader called the Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the union home minister Amit Shah and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) as “traitors.”

Mr Gandhi kicked off a firestorm as he advised the people to tell the RSS workers that Mr Modi, Mr Shah and their organisation were “traitors” drawing an immediate response from the BJP leaders saying that his language “mirrors that of Pakistan and terrorists supported by the country.”

Mr Gandhi made the remarks while addressing the Congress workers in Uttar Pradesh’s Rae Bareli on Wednesday. Mr Gandhi said, “When you go back home, when these RSS workers come to you, they will talk about Narendra Modi, they will talk about Amit Shah. You look them in the face and say, ‘Your Prime Minister is a traitor, your home minister is a traitor, your organisation is a traitor. You have worked to sell out India. You have attacked our organisation, our Constitution, BR Ambedkar and Mahatma Gandhi.’ Tell them this.”

Later he again attacked Mr Modi over the viral video of him giving a pack of Melody candy to Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni as a nod to the popular internet portmanteau ‘Melodi’. Mr Gandhi wrote on X, “An economic storm is raging and our Prime Minister is busy handing out candies in Italy. Farmers, youth, women, labourers, and small traders are all in tears – the PM is laughing and making reels, while the BJP folks are clapping along. This isn’t leadership, it’s a farce,” he said.

Launching a volley against Mr Gandhi, the BJP leaders said he has proved that he wants to fight the Indian state. The BJP national president Nitin Nabin said the remarks expose Rahul Gandhi’s “anarchic and divisive” mindset. “In Indian politics, where there has been a tradition of integrity and mutual respect, such indecent language is completely unacceptable. The frustration and despair arising from repeated electoral defeats are now clearly evident in his statements.

“While Rahul Gandhi’s ancestors had mortgaged the country’s land and conscience, today, under the leadership of the Honourable Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi ji, the country’s land has been secured and the confidence of the citizens has also been strengthened,” he said.

The Union Minister Giriraj Singh said, “Rahul Gandhi’s language has become like that of an enemy nation. Rahul Gandhi speaks in a way that only an adversarial country would speak. The world already knows India’s economy. It does not need a certificate from Rahul Gandhi. Today, Rahul Gandhi wants unrest in the country, but he should not forget that the people of this country and the youth stand with PM Narendra Modi and Amit Shah.”

BJP National Spokesperson Pradeep Bhandari termed Gandhi’s statements an insult to democracy. “Rahul Gandhi is calling all 140 crore Indians traitors. His language mirrors that of Pakistan and Pakistan-supported terrorists, as such statements can only be made by them. Rahul Gandhi has proved that his intention is not that of a political opponent but of someone who wants to fight the Indian state,” Bhandari alleged.

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath took a dig at Gandhi, calling him ‘yuvraj’ or prince, and demanded an apology. “The Congress, the mother of divisive and appeasement politics, has a ‘yuvraj’ whose indecent remark reflects his negative politics, unrestrained thinking, and utter disrespect for democratic values.

“His utterly reprehensible remark against respected Prime Minister Shri @narendramodi, Honourable Union Home and Cooperation Minister Shri @AmitShah ji, and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh is also an insult to the mandate, trust, and democratic ethos of 145 crore countrymen,” Yogi Adityanath wrote on X. “The Congress’ ‘yuvraj’ should publicly apologise to the entire nation for his objectionable, unparliamentary, and frustration-driven statement,” he asserted.

Senior BJP leader and MP Anurag Thakur said the Congress has undertaken the task of dismantling the Constitution of India. “The very actions Rahul Gandhi speaks of today were, in fact, carried out by Indira Gandhi when she imposed the Emergency. If anyone saved the Indian people, it was Babasaheb Ambedkar. Yet, it was the Congress party that subjected that very Babasaheb Ambedkar to humiliation,” he said.

“Using such derogatory language is simply their modus operandi. Be it the war of 1965 or the Emergency, the RSS has always stepped forward to lead the way. Whether it is the EVMs or the Election Commission – abusing PM Modi and hurling insults at the RSS has now become their standard practice,” Thakur added.

Meanwhile, a red-faced Congress unit in UP has sought an explanation from two of its leaders who uninvited went to call on the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief and former chief minister Mayawati at her Lucknow residence and were turned away by her security.

The Congress leaders Rajendra Pal Gautam and Barabanki MP Tanuj Punia reached the BSP chief’s house on Tuesday and requested a meeting with her. Her security team passed the message to the politician, one of the country’s most prominent Dalit voices, but she was unwilling to meet them. The two leaders sidestepped media queries as to the purpose of the move, claiming it was a courtesy visit to enquire about Ms Mayawati’s health who was believed to be ailing. Punia also denied reports that they had approached Mayawati to convey a message from Mr Rahul Gandhi.

The UP Congress said the visit of the two leaders to Mayawati was unauthorised” and has sought an explanation from the two leaders. The party’s UP in-charge Avinash Pande said the party had taken notice of the visit. “This was not an authorised delegation from the party. The party has taken cognisance of the matter and issued show-cause notices to the leaders who went there,” Pande said.

Uttar Pradesh Congress president Ajay Rai also said the party did not permit the visit. “Such visits are pre-decided and cleared by top leadership well in advance,” he said. The Congress has been trying to reel in Mayawati for an alliance to take on the BJP in Uttar Pradesh. The party already has an alliance with the Samajwadi Party in the most populous state of the country, and partnering with Mayawati’s party would help the bloc prevent division of Muslim, Dalit and OBC votes.

The Samajwadi Party and the Congress’ combined front against the BJP in the 2024 general elections stopped the ruling party in its tracks, with both parties winning over half of the state’s 80 seats. Mayawati contested the 2019 general elections in alliance with her arch-rival, the Samajwadi Party, and reaped the benefits. Her party won 10 Lok Sabha seats, Akhilesh Yadav’s won only 5. However, since then, she has shied away from all alliances and is equidistant from both the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) and the Opposition’s Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance. The BSP has never had a formal pre-poll alliance with the Congress in Uttar Pradesh.