New Delhi, 05 August (H.S.): The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Wednesday described the seventh anniversary of the abrogation of Article 370 on August 5, 2019, as a moment of national pride and launched a sharp attack on the Congress and Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi. The BJP alleged that Rahul Gandhi was obstructing the functioning of Parliament and making a series of irresponsible statements instead of fulfilling his democratic responsibilities.

Addressing a press conference at the BJP headquarters, party spokesperson Gaurav Bhatia said that under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the temporary provision of Article 370 was abrogated on August 5, 2019, thereby upholding the true spirit of the Constitution. He said that then Union Home Minister Amit Shah demonstrated the resolve associated with Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel in implementing the historic decision.

Describing the current parliamentary deadlock as a battle between two ideologies, Bhatia said that while Prime Minister Modi places national interest above everything else, Rahul Gandhi practices divisive politics and supports disruptive elements.

He also highlighted the Central government's action against fugitive criminals. Bhatia said that between 2019 and 2026, India succeeded in bringing back 274 fugitive criminals from 36 countries, compared to an average of only four fugitives repatriated annually between 2004 and 2013. He described this as the outcome of the Modi government's zero tolerance policy and its strong commitment to law enforcement.

Bhatia said that the responsibility of the Leader of the Opposition is to participate in parliamentary debates, hold the government accountable with facts, and raise issues concerning the public. Instead, he alleged, Rahul Gandhi has chosen to stay away from what he termed the temple of democracy.

The BJP spokesperson also objected to Rahul Gandhi's recent remarks questioning the Prime Minister's authority to forgive protesting students and his description of the BJP and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) ideology as poisonous. Bhatia alleged that Rahul Gandhi was suffering from Modi phobia and RSS phobia, which, according to him, prompted such statements.

He further questioned Rahul Gandhi's claim that the country's youth were on the streets in protest. The BJP said that at the same time, students and young people in Jharkhand had been protesting for several days, yet Rahul Gandhi and Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren had remained silent on the issue. The party reiterated its demand for a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into the Jharkhand matter and called on Rahul Gandhi, Hemant Soren, and Arvind Kejriwal to clarify their stand on the issue.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar