New Delhi, 14 October (H.S.):

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Delhi unit president Harsh Malhotra has accused Congress leader Rahul Gandhi of misleading young people, saying he should be ashamed of allegedly confusing the country’s youth. Malhotra described Gandhi’s portrayal of the actions of young people accused of breaking the law as a fight for the Tricolour as “shameful politics”.

Harsh Malhotra alleged that CJP leaders Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka were misguided young people who were attempting to mislead the country’s youth with the backing of foreign funds. He claimed that Das and Ranka, along with Abhijit Deepke, had furnished bonds before a magistrate’s court just four days earlier, undertaking not to engage in any unlawful activity for one year.

According to the Delhi BJP president, after the Delhi Police removed Jantar Mantar from its list of designated protest sites, Das and Ranka, accompanied by another associate, Ajinkya Shinde, arrived at the location. The police subsequently produced all three before a magistrate’s court.

Harsh Malhotra said the magistrate sent Das and Ranka to jail for allegedly violating the conditions of their bonds, while Shinde was released after furnishing a bond.

Describing Rahul Gandhi’s political response to the episode as unfortunate, Harsh Malhotra said it was deeply shameful to portray alleged violations of the law as a struggle for the national flag. He alleged that Gandhi, like the CJP leaders, was misleading both the country and its young people, and said he should be ashamed of his actions.

Harsh Malhotra further alleged that the undemocratic and anarchic conduct of Rahul Gandhi, CJP leaders and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leaders was bringing disrepute to the country and causing embarrassment to law-abiding citizens.

The remarks reflect the BJP leader’s criticism of the opposition’s response to the detention of the CJP leaders and the broader debate over protest rights, compliance with legal restrictions and the use of the national flag during demonstrations.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar