INDIA bloc extends support to Rahul Gandhi amid threats from BJP leaders; Congress lodges complaint

NEW DELHI, SEPTEMBER 18: Amid the controversy sparked by threats and violent statements hurled against Leader of Opposition (LoP) in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi by leaders of BJP and its allies, the opposition bloc has come together in support of the former Congress chief and his party. The opposition leaders belonging to the INDIA bloc have dubbed the statements and threats as the ruling BJP-led coalition’s reaction to increasing public support garnered by Rahul Gandhi and sought immediate action to ensure the safety of the Congress MP.

Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu and DMK leader MK Stalin on Wednesday said that growing public support for Gandhi is the reason behind the threat against him.

“Deeply shocked by media reports of a BJP leader’s threat that @RahulGandhi ‘will meet the same fate as his grandmother’, and a Shinde Sena MLA’s bounty for cutting his tongue, along with other intimidating threats. My brother Rahul Gandhi’s charisma and growing public support have clearly unsettled many, leading to such vile acts of intimidation. The Union Government must act swiftly to ensure protection for the Leader of the Opposition and reaffirm that intimidation and violence have no place in our democracy”, he posted on X.

Meanwhile, Congress’ Rajya Sabha MP Ajay Maken lodged a police complaint over the recent statements of leaders belonging to the ruling NDA targeting Gandhi.

The party alleged that the statements were aimed at jeopardising the safety and security of the LoP and to disturb peace throughout the country, especially in view of the polls in Jammu and Kashmir, and Haryana.

In the complaint seeking registration of an FIR submitted to the Tughlaq Road police station by All India Congress Committee (AICC) treasurer and general secretary Maken, the Congress cited the recent remarks by BJP leaders Tarvinder Singh Marwah, Ravneet Singh Bittu and Raghuraj Singh, as well as that of Shiv Sena MLA Sanjay Gaikwad.

Shiv Sena (UBT) spokesperson Sanjay Raut said that threats to the Congress MP is a serious matter and a conspiracy is being hatched to attack Gandhi.

“Conspiracy is being plotted on foreign land and it is being executed in the country. I had raised this issue earlier in August. All BJP leaders are speaking the same language; targeting him. Opposition is rallying behind Gandhi and this has scared some”, said Raut.

He further questioned the silence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah on the issue.

On Wednesday, Congress workers staged a protest in support of their leader. Several senior party leaders including former Chief Minister of Rajasthan Ashok Gehlot, KC Venugopal, Manish Tiwari, former Deputy Chief Minister of Chhattisgarh TS Singh Deo, also issued statements urging the Government to act swiftly.

Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra said that as the LoP is raising the voice of the people more strongly, the verbal and ideological violence against him is rising.

She further questioned whether raising the voice of crores of Dalits, backwards, tribals and poor people of the country is a crime.

“The continuous violent, indecent and inhuman statements one after the other prove that this is an organised and well-planned campaign which is extremely dangerous for the country’s democracy. Even more dangerous is the Prime Minister, Home Minister and the entire RSS-BJP leadership encouraging this and not taking any action…Do the people of RSS-BJP now want to make violence and hatred the basic mantra of democracy?” she posted on twitter.

On Tuesday, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge wrote to the Prime Minister Narendra Modi asking him to discipline his party’s leaders. The Congress chief also sought instructions for them to behave ‘properly’.

In his letter to Modi, Kharge asserted that strict legal action should be taken against those giving such statements so that Indian politics can be prevented from degenerating and nothing untoward happens.

“The world is shocked that the Minister of State for Railways (MoS) in the Central Government, a Minister from BJP-ruled Uttar Pradesh, is calling the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha ‘number one terrorist'”, Kharge wrote in an apparent reference to the remarks by MoS Railways Ravneet Singh Bittu and Uttar Pradesh Minister Raghuraj Singh.

Kharge also made reference to the remarks made by Maharashtra MLA and a BJP leader from Delhi however he didn’t mention their names.

“In Maharashtra, an MLA from a coalition party in your Government has announced a reward of Rs 11 lakh to anyone who ‘cuts off the tongue’ of the Leader of the Opposition. In Delhi, a BJP leader and former MLA is threatening to ‘make her suffer like Dadi (grandmother)”, Kharge said.

(Courtesy: TNIE)