New Delhi: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Thursday labelled the Leader of Opposition (LoP) in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi as a “traitor”, accusing him of having links with international organiations and seeking foreign interference to “promote anarchy” in the country.
Addressing a press conference, BJP spokesperson Gaurav Bhatia cited a media report, claiming that some foreign agencies could be linked to protests taking place in India.
“It is India’s misfortune that its LoP (Rahul Gandhi) is irresponsible and, according to the facts that I will present, it not be wrong to call him a traitor,” he said while alleging that attempts were being made to interfere in India’s internal affairs through foreign organisations.
Referring to a report by Fox News which mentioned about a France-based organisation ‘Indian Alliance Paris’, the BJP spokesperson said: “When Rahul Gandhi was creating turmoil in India…the protest he was carrying out was merely a pretext, his real objective was to spread anarchy. The Indian Alliance Paris, an organisation based in France, came to Rahul Gandhi’s aid on October 6. It interferes in our internal affairs. When Rahul Gandhi is detained during a protest, which is a constitutional and legal process, this is the first organisation to share his videos. It amplifies his (LoP’s) posts and detention and baselessly criticises India’s democracy.”
Referring to photos shared from the Congress party’s X account, Gaurav Bhatia claimed that senior Congress leader Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi met delegation of an organisation called Progressive International at 10 Janpath in New Delhi.
“The model of alleged vote theft, Special Intensive Revision (SIR) and anarchy, and Rahul Gandhi’s resolve to destroy all constitutional institutions, begins here. And he will not deny it. Rahul ji is not Gandhi, but ‘Rahul Gaddar’,” the BJP spokesperson remarked.
According to Bhatia’s account, “The Fox News digital investigation shows how events in France and regime changes brought through anarchy and chaos in several other countries, are linked to the protests being staged in India by the Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi.”
“The central argument is that 101 organisations across nine countries have created an ecosystem that attempts to overthrow duly elected governments—constitutional governments chosen by citizens. It is a ‘red-green ecosystem of protests’ according to this report,” the BJP spokesperson said.
He added that red stands for the Communists and green for the Islamists groups.
“What happened in Spain, what is happening in India and what happened in Albania—all of this is linked to Progressive International. The idea is to overthrow elected governments and disrupt democracies wherever they exist. Constitutional institutions such as the Supreme Court and Parliament, as well as historical buildings, are allegedly set on fire and destroyed,” the BJP leader claimed.
Bhatia said it would not be wrong to ask whether Rahul Gandhi no longer had the strength to act on his own and therefore needed the support of agencies and institutions that were “anti-India”.
“They may be anti-India, but how can India’s Leader of Opposition be ‘anti-India’? How can he betray the country?” he asked.
The BJP leader underlined that both the organisations, Progressive International and India Alliance Paris, have been flagged in the media report.
Citing a social media post on Albania violence by Shiv Sena-UBT MP Sanjay Raut, Gaurav Bhatia called it a “signal to attack” constitutional institutions in India.
“The dignity of every Indian, the country’s Parliament and the Supreme Court must be respected. No one can dare to think that they can enter the premises of the Supreme Court and create disorder… But a few days ago, Rahul Gandhi made an excuse that they had to file a petition and entered the Supreme Court premises with a mob, that too at around 6-7 p.m. The Supreme Court has taken cognisance of the matter,” the BJP spokesperson said.
He also questioned Rahul Gandhi’s meeting with British MP Jeremy Corbyn, saying: “Jeremy Corbyn is an MP who believes that Kashmir is not an integral part of India. Why is Rahul Gandhi meeting him?”
He alleged that the LoP was the leader of people accused of betraying the country, adding that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had made a similar point on the occasion of Vijayadashami by urging people to remain vigilant against forces seeking to weaken the country.
“How can the LoP urge external forces to interfere in our internal matters? That itself is treason,” Bhatia remarked.
The BJP spokesperson also said that Rahul Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi should publicly disclose what was discussed with Progressive International because, Bhatia asserted, the people of the country wanted to know.
“Rahul Gandhi should answer what is the source of funding of the protests which is being staged to spread anarchy in the country? Is this funding coming from George Soros or Jeremy Corbyn? Is it coming from Progressive International? It is your responsibility to share all the information with the citizens of the country,” Bhatia said while emphasising that protesting is a democratic right, but violence and damage to public institutions is an offence which will result in imprisonment.
In a warning to Rahul Gandhi, the BJP spokesperson said: “If you hate India, the day is not far when the people will not even allow you to set foot on Indian soil.”
(IANS)
