Karnal, November 5: Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Thursday launched a sharp attack on Congress leader Rahul Gandhi amid the ongoing ‘vote chori’ controversy, accusing him of disrupting parliamentary proceedings and taking political confrontations to the streets to “spread anarchy”.
Addressing the concluding rally of the BJP’s ‘Loktantra Bachao, Arajakta Hatao’ campaign in Karnal, Haryana, Shah warned the Congress against its protest tactics and said BJP workers would give the opposition a “fitting reply” wherever it chose to mobilise crowds.
Shah questioned Rahul Gandhi’s approach to parliamentary democracy, saying Parliament was the supreme forum for deliberation in a democracy. He alleged that Rahul neither allowed Parliament to function nor engaged in discussions on substantive issues.
The Home Minister accused the Congress of turning disruptions and boycotts in Parliament into a political culture. He also alleged that the opposition was choosing to gather crowds on the streets and create chaos instead of allowing parliamentary proceedings to continue.
Challenging Rahul Gandhi, Shah said the country’s 80-year-old democracy would not be swayed by such tactics. He added that the BJP would take on the opposition in Parliament, state assemblies, villages, fields and on the roads.
“If you insist on gathering crowds, BJP workers will be there to give you a fitting reply,” Shah said.
The Union Home Minister said the rally marked the conclusion of the first phase of the BJP campaign, which was conducted at party headquarters across the country from October 22 to November 5. He claimed the campaign had received widespread public enthusiasm and support for Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Shah was accompanied by Union Minister Manohar Lal Khattar, Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini and BJP leader Smriti Irani. They also participated in a foot march in Karnal.
Khattar, meanwhile, accused the Congress and its allies of using anti-national elements as proxies. He also alleged that foreign-funded organisations were attempting to create an atmosphere of lawlessness in the country.
The BJP’s second phase of the campaign is scheduled to run from November 11 to November 30. It will focus on raising awareness about the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, voter-list accuracy and constitutional processes.
