New Delhi: The BJP hit back at the Opposition meet on Thursday, describing it as an “alliance of scared people.”
Addressing a press conference, Union law minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said that the Opposition was “scared of Modiji,” and those talking about composite heritage are a coalition of “failed people” who will keep on failing in the future.
Taking a dig at Rahul Gandhi, Mr Prasad said, “Rahul always loses elections but still leads the party.”
Mr Gandhi, he said, has silenced everybody in the Congress to such an extent that despite his party’s loss every time under him, nobody dares to ask him any question.
The Congress vice-president’s observations, he said, are more of a “political cry” arising out of a deep sense of dismay as to why he and his party are being rejected by the people of the country.
“...But today, one thing was clear by his comments. Rahul Gandhi does not give a speech, he cries,” Mr Prasad said.
Earlier in the day, Mr Gandhi took part in the Sanjhi Virasat Bachao hosted by rebel JD(U) leader Sharad Yadav, where former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and other senior Congress members as well as Left party leaders, including CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury and CPI national secretary D. Raja took part.
At the meet Mr Gandhi had hit out at the government for not being able to keep its promises, while targeting the RSS for imposing its Hindutva agenda.
Mr Prasad said that it was “hypocrisy” to talk about composite heritage but remain silent over the killing of RSS workers in Kerala allegedly by CPI(M) workers.
“The organisers of composite heritage — Congress, Left and Sharad Yadav are sitting together. How do they consider the merciless killing of RSS workers in Kannur in Kerala by CPI(M) workers and their goons. Is it part of the composite heritage of India? This is hypocrisy,” Mr Prasad said.
Taking a dig at Mr Yadav, he said, “The person whose entire politics started at the feet of JP, and opposing the Congress, is feeling happy today sitting beside Rahul Gandhi.”
Mr Prasad said that the most objectionable comment by Mr Gandhi was that the BJP is packing the judiciary and the media with its own people and will change the Constitution.
“I would expect Rahul Gandhi not to make motivated political comment about the judiciary. India’s judiciary is independent and we all respect it. They are left with no issues and out of their political fear saying these things. I appeal to them not to not drag the judiciary... The Narendra Modi government fully respects the independence of judiciary and fully upholds the independence of media,” he said.
