Daijiworld Media Network - New Delhi
New Delhi, Oct 25: BJP spokesperson N V Subhash, grandson of former Prime Minister P V Narasimha Rao, on Sunday criticised Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi, accusing him of attempting to undermine India's constitutional institutions during his overseas visits.
Referring to Gandhi's frequent foreign trips and public statements, Subhash alleged that a systematic effort was being made to undermine the country's constitutional framework, judiciary and electoral processes ahead of Assembly elections in five states.
“Whenever he visits foreign countries, something happens to his whole ecosystem. Being an opposition leader, he can criticise the Narendra Modi government in a systematic way, but instead, he targets the Constitution, the Election Commission, the system, including the judiciary. One day, they will even comment on the media. He goes abroad and makes people suffer,” Subhash said.
He stressed that a responsible opposition leader should remain connected with the country, party workers and the general public.
“Whenever he goes abroad, something happens to him. He comes back to India and talks about things that are not even connected, provoking certain sections of the people. People are definitely watching. He will hit a century of losing elections one by one in the upcoming polls in five state Assemblies,” he added.
Subhash further accused Rahul Gandhi of allegedly invoking sensitive communal and social sentiments for political survival, describing the situation as “alarming”.
“He (Rahul) always wants to provoke certain sections of the people. One day, he rubs the wrong side of the shoulder, raking the sentiments of Sikhs. On another day, he rubs the other side, raking the sentiments of certain minority sections,” the BJP spokesperson said, referring to the INDIA bloc's scheduled rally at Ramlila Maidan on November 1.
He also alleged that Gandhi was preparing the ground to blame electoral mechanisms, including Special Intensive Revision (SIR) and Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs), for the Congress party's anticipated defeat in the upcoming Assembly elections.
“In order to ensure his own political survival, he knows very well that in the upcoming elections in five states, he is going to lose badly. He is laying a foundation stone for excuses -- claiming 'because of SIR we have lost, because of EVM we have lost, because of seat store he has lost,'” Subhash stated.
Calling for a course correction, the BJP spokesperson urged Gandhi to uphold the standards set by previous opposition leaders.
“We, the Bharatiya Janata Party, demand that Rahul Gandhi behave like a responsible opposition leader. His forefathers ruled this country, and there have been so many top leaders in the Congress party who served as opposition leaders, but they never behaved like this,” Subhash said.