New Delhi, Jun 19 (PTI) The BJP on Friday took a swipe at Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on his 56th birthday, dismissing projections of him as a future prime minister and asserting that a PM from the Nehru-Gandhi family is a “thing of the distant past”.
The ruling party also said repeated attempts to reinvent Gandhi’s image have failed to win public support and challenged the Congress leader to do serious work on the ground instead of engaging in “frivolous and mischievous” activities.
Addressing a press conference here, BJP national spokesperson Sudhanshu Trivedi said a member of the Nehru-Gandhi family has not occupied the post since Rajiv Gandhi.
“A prime minister from the Nehru-Gandhi family has become a thing of the distant past. The last prime minister from the Nehru-Gandhi family was the late Rajiv Gandhi. Since 1989, 37 years have passed,” Trivedi said, when asked about Congress leaders projecting Gandhi as a future prime minister and his recent claim that the government would fall within a year.
“Even today, if they are talking about Rahul Gandhi becoming prime minister in the future, he will have to do something serious on the ground instead of engaging in activities that are frivolous and mischievous,” he added.
Replying sharply to Youth Congress workers celebrating Gandhi’s 56th birthday by depicting him as Lord Parshuram, Trivedi said it should be left to the “wisdom of the people” to decide how the day should be observed.
“I think Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru’s birthday used to be celebrated as Children’s Day. I leave it to the wisdom of the people and viewers to decide what day Rahul Gandhi’s birthday should be observed as,” Trivedi said.
Youth Congress workers in Varanasi celebrated Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi’s 56th birthday with symbolic rituals, including pouring milk over his photograph in the Ganga river.
In the image used during the celebration, Gandhi was depicted as Lord Parshuram, holding an axe in one hand and a copy of the Constitution in the other.
Trivedi, a Rajya Sabha MP, said despite undergoing “dramatic” changes in style, body language and appearance in over a decade, Gandhi has continued to “lose his place in the hearts of the people”.
Targeting the opposition alliance, Trivedi claimed that the INDIA bloc has lost relevance.
“I think the very existence of the INDIA (bloc) has become a subject for reflection. When Narendra Modi became prime minister, there was the UPA.
“Where is the UPA today? What is its actual status?” he said.
“Then a new formation called ‘INDIA’ was created… it is difficult to understand where the ‘INDIA’ exists today,” he added.
On the defeat of the Congress Rajya Sabha candidate in Jharkhand to an NDA-supported Independent candidate on Thursday, he claimed that distrust among the INDIA bloc allies has surfaced during seat-sharing talks for the Bihar assembly polls.
“The mutual trust had already collapsed during the Bihar seat-sharing process. What we are seeing today is merely the culmination of that process,” he said.
Referring to recent political developments, Trivedi said, “After the DMK’s departure, they are left with only one ally in South India — the Muslim League. Beyond that, they have no ally there.
“The Congress should reflect on where the INDIA (bloc) actually stands now. What is its actual status? Has it gone into radioactive decay or has it been consigned to history? No one knows.” On a question over reports of BJP leaders being in touch with leaders of parties such as the Trinamool Congress (TMC) and Shiv Sena, Trivedi declined to comment.
“These are internal matters of those parties. Whatever is happening is their internal affair.
“We will not comment on it. But, as you sow, so shall you reap,” he said.
On concerns surrounding the NEET re-examination scheduled on June 21 and the political controversy over the issue, Trivedi said the government is alert and committed to ensuring a fair examination process.
“The government is completely alert, vigilant and sensitive. If there appears to be any possibility of any irregularity, the government is making every effort to ensure that no such issue arises,” he said.
Taking a dig at Gandhi’s remarks on competitive examinations, Trivedi said, “Rahul Gandhi was saying that so many students appear for the examination and only a few are selected; therefore, it is a process of rejection rather than selection.” “I would like to ask Rahul Gandhi: How many crores of Congress workers aspire to become members of Parliament? Out of lakhs of people, only one gets selected. Is that rejection or selection?” he asked.
BJP national spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla alleged that “insulting Hindu faith is the only identity of Rahul Gandhi and the Congress”.
“For the Congress, Gandhi may be God. But he is not for Hindus. The manner in which Rahul Gandhi has been depicted as Parshuram ji, an avatar of God, shows that they are insulting Hindu faith all the time,” Poonawalla said in a post on X.
Another BJP spokesperson, Pradeep Bhandari, alleged that Congress supporters have insulted Lord Parshuram.
“They have shown that out of 365 days, the Congress will remember Hindus for one day, while for the other 364 days, they will do appeasement politics,” he said in a video post on X. PTI ADI ADI KSS KSS
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