The ruling BJP on Wednesday accused Rahul Gandhi of harbouring an “anarchic and divisive mindset” and demanded an apology to the nation, launching a sharp attack against the leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha over his “gaddar (traitor)” jibe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Led by newly elected BJP president Nitin Nabin, Union ministers and party leaders accused Rahul of speaking out of “frustration” stemming from the Congress’s repeated electoral setbacks.
“Rahul Gandhi’s statement against Prime Minister Narendra Modi is extremely unfortunate and exposes his anarchic and divisive mindset. In Indian politics, where integrity and mutual respect have long been valued, such indecent language is unacceptable,” Nabin said in a video statement.
Escalating the attack, Nabin described Rahul as the “Rahu of Indian politics”, accusing him of “polluting and dirtying” the country’s political discourse. “You have not only insulted Prime Minister Narendra Modi but also 140 crore Indians,” he said.
Warning of political consequences, the BJP chief said Rahul had failed to learn from the past. “Every time you insult Narendra Modi, the people of this country make him victorious. If you do not apologise to 140 crore Indians, they will once again teach you a lesson,” he said.
Hailing the Modi government’s record, Nabin sought to turn the attack back on the Congress, asking: “Those who put a leash on terrorism and eradicated Naxalism — are they traitors? Or those who sheltered terrorism and promoted Naxalism — are they the traitors? The people of the country are watching everything. They know everything and, when the time comes, they will give you the answer as well.” The BJP chief alleged that the Congress has become a “private limited company” of Rahul and his sister Priyanka Gandhi Vadra.
Union commerce and industry minister Piyush Goyal also hit out at Rahul, accusing him of being unable to accept India’s rise under Modi. “Why does Rahul Gandhi hate India and everything made in India so much?” Goyal asked, asserting that India has emerged as the world’s “trusted destination” through the government’s “Made in India” and “Local Goes Global” push.
“The Congress sees a problem in every Indian achievement. The global respect, investment and trust that India waited decades for is now being earned under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and that is what Rahul Gandhi cannot tolerate,” Goyal said on X.
Since Rahul made the remarks in Rae Bareli on Wednesday, Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath also hit back. “The Congress, the mother of divisive and appeasement politics, has a ‘Yuvraj’ whose indecent remarks reflect his negative politics, unrestrained thinking and utter disrespect for democratic values,” Adityanath said on X, demanding a “public apology” from the “Yuvraj” for his “frustration-driven” remarks.
Parliamentary affairs minister Kiren Rijiju alleged that Rahul was alienating even politically neutral voters through his “negative politics”. “Not surprised that the Congress is losing people’s support. I wonder how Congress leaders fail to realise that it is their own leader and spokespersons who are driving away even politically neutral people,” Rijiju said on X.