New Delhi, 11 August (H.S.): Delhi BJP president and Union Minister of State Harsh Malhotra launched a scathing attack on Congress leader and Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday, alleging that he has become the “poster boy” of anarchy and lies. Challenging Rahul Gandhi and the entire Opposition, Malhotra urged them to come to Parliament for a discussion on every issue concerning the country, including the youth movement, rather than avoiding debate and disrupting proceedings.

Addressing a press conference at the Delhi BJP office on Tuesday, Malhotra said Rahul Gandhi had attempted a few days ago to turn the student protest at Jantar Mantar into a political weapon. However, he claimed that the alleged violent suppression of the student agitation by the Hemant Soren government in Jharkhand, in which the Congress is a constituent, had exposed what he described as the “double standards” of Rahul Gandhi and the Congress, particularly before the country’s youth.

Malhotra asked Rahul Gandhi to come forward and state when he would withdraw support from the Hemant Soren government, which he described as surviving with the Congress as a “crutch”. If he did not do so, Malhotra said, the country would have to assume that the action against students in Jharkhand had the Congress’s approval.

He said Parliament was the constitutional forum for discussing issues concerning the nation. Although Rahul Gandhi carries a copy of the Constitution, Malhotra alleged that he was disregarding its spirit by avoiding discussion in Parliament and attempting to “hijack” its proceedings.

Malhotra further alleged that during the student agitation at Jantar Mantar in Delhi, certain criminal and anti-national elements had attempted to engage in violence and enter Parliament. He said that Rahul Gandhi had then staged a protest outside the Prime Minister’s residence and attempted to create confusion by alleging suppression of students and the use of pellet guns. According to Malhotra, the incident in Jharkhand had exposed the alleged double standards of the Congress and Rahul Gandhi.

The Delhi BJP president also alleged that some political parties in Delhi had formed a platform called CJP and attempted to incite young people under the pretext of the NEET examination paper leak issue, while also trying to provoke violence over demands for the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.

He said Prime Minister Narendra Modi had demonstrated sensitivity by assigning two senior Union ministers to engage with student leaders, accepting their demands and bringing the student agitation to an end. Despite what he described as Opposition non-cooperation in Parliament, he said, legislation providing for stringent action against examination paper leaks was also passed. In contrast, Malhotra alleged that the Congress-backed Jharkhand government had treated students in an inhumane manner, for which, he said, the country would never forgive it.

Malhotra said that, besides serving as the Delhi BJP president, he is also a Union minister of state, and that the presiding officers of both Houses of Parliament as well as Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju were making continuous efforts to facilitate discussion on important national issues despite the disruption of parliamentary proceedings. He alleged that the “stubbornness” of the Congress and Rahul Gandhi was responsible for the disruption of Parliament.

He said the Parliamentary Affairs Minister had made it clear that the government was ready to debate every issue and that Union Home Minister Amit Shah was also prepared to participate in the discussions. Despite this, Malhotra alleged, the Opposition, particularly Rahul Gandhi, was avoiding debate. He claimed that Rahul Gandhi was not concerned about students or the country, but was instead disrupting Parliament to block important government legislation.

At the conclusion of the press conference, Harsh Malhotra said Rahul Gandhi, the Congress and most Opposition parties should understand that the “unparliamentary and anarchic” path they were following would lead to their political downfall in 2029, which, he claimed, would be driven by “Gen Z”.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar