The Delhi Police registered an FIR against Rahul Gandhi for allegedly entering Akashvani Bhavan during an INDIA bloc protest. While the BJP accused Gandhi of creating anarchy and defaming institutions, Congress MP Imran Masood said, "Rahul Gandhi is the LoP and was accompanied by MPs. He did not enter anywhere forcibly."
The protest march by INDIA bloc leaders to the Election Commission office had been organised over various issues related to the conduct of recent assembly elections, which ultimately led to confrontations with security personnel on the ground.
New Delhi: A sharp political face-off has broken out between the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the opposition INDIA bloc following the Delhi Police's registration of an FIR against Leader of Opposition (LoP) in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, for allegedly forcibly entering the Akashvani Bhavan during an opposition protest march towards the Election Commission of India (ECI) headquarters.
While opposition leaders strongly defended Rahul Gandhi and accused the Centre of resorting to "dictatorial" measures, the BJP launched a scathing counterattack, accusing the Congress leader of attempting to create "anarchy" and defaming constitutional institutions. Dismissing the charges, Congress MP Imran Masood maintained that Rahul Gandhi was accompanied by fellow parliamentarians and did not break any laws.
"Rahul Gandhi is the LoP and was accompanied by MPs. He did not enter anywhere forcibly... We will fight till the very end. We will not back down just because of an FIR," Masood told ANI. Backing Gandhi, Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) leader Manoj Pandey slammed the central government, alleging that it was intimidated by the opposition's mobilisation on public issues.
"What can you expect from a dictatorial government? ...Dictatorial people are in power today. The Leader of the Opposition, a leader who is on the streets for public issues. He has the ability to fight, the courage to fight," Pandey said."Today, the central government is scared. Whatever is being seen is an extreme, and the end of the extreme is certain," the JMM leader added.
Hitting back, the BJP accused the Congress leadership of creating unnecessary roadblocks in the country's development journey. BJP MLC Parinay Fuke questioned the credibility of the opposition's agitation, saying, "Rahul Gandhi is carrying out these protests to defame the country, and I do not see any substance in his issues. At a time when India is rapidly developing, advancing on multiple fronts, expanding industrialisation and attracting large-scale foreign investment, I believe such efforts create hurdles to the country's progress..."
BJP National Spokesperson CR Kesavan also likened Rahul Gandhi to a "spoilsport" and alleged that he was deliberately targeting independent constitutional bodies.
"...Rahul Gandhi is similar to an unstable spoilsport who flips the game board when they are losing, and Rahul Gandhi has now become a democracy wrecker unleashing anarchy and chaos because Rahul Gandhi has failed and is unable to win elections democratically," Kesavan remarked.
"Rahul Gandhi is engaging in dubious drama, trying to play the victim card by vilifying our constitutional institutions... Rahul Gandhi, instead of behaving like a responsible leader of the Opposition, is engaging in misconduct that resembles anti-national forces and anti-national elements..." the BJP spokesperson added.
The protest march by INDIA bloc leaders to the Election Commission office had been organised over various issues related to the conduct of recent assembly elections, which ultimately led to confrontations with security personnel on the ground.