NEW DELHI: The Congress on Tuesday took a swipe at Home Minister Amit Shah, saying he accomplished a miracle in the Lok Sabha when he "raved and ranted for 90 minutes" without once using his favourite word of abuse.
The opposition party’s dig came a day after Shah declared that the country has become free from Naxals, with the apex body of the Maoists and their central structure almost completely dismantled. He also accused the Congress of doing "nothing" to end the long spell of violence perpetrated by the ultras.
Replying to the debate in the Lok Sabha on ‘Efforts to free the country from left-wing extremism (LWE)’, Shah further alleged that Congress leader Rahul Gandhi had been seen multiple times in public with sympathisers of Naxals and had even posted videos "sympathetic" to the Maoists on his social media handle.
Taking a swipe at Shah, Congress general secretary in charge of communications Jairam Ramesh said, "Yesterday, the Home Minister accomplished a miracle in the Lok Sabha. He raved and ranted for 90 minutes without once using his favourite word of abuse, which has had to be expunged on previous occasions."
Ramesh also referred to his earlier post on X this month, in which he had taken a swipe at Shah, noting that one of his favourite words used again in the Lok Sabha had been expunged.
The earlier remark by Ramesh came after an opposition move to remove Om Birla as the Lok Sabha Speaker was defeated in the Lower House following a heated debate.
Responding to that debate, Shah had dismissed Rahul Gandhi’s contention that he was not allowed to speak in the House, saying the Congress leader was frequently abroad during sessions and skipped discussions wilfully as he did not wish to participate.
Opposition members had rushed to the Well of the House, protesting and raising slogans as the Home Minister concluded his speech at the end of the two-day debate on the resolution.
They demanded an apology for certain remarks made by Shah, which they described as "offensive".
In his remarks in the Lok Sabha on Monday, Shah targeted the Congress and claimed that former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi had accepted the support of Naxals in an election in the 1970s in then undivided Andhra Pradesh, and remained "influenced" by Maoist ideology.
"Experts say that without the support of those in power, the Red Corridor could not have been created," he said, referring to regions affected by Naxalism across Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Odisha, Maharashtra, Kerala, West Bengal, Madhya Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.
The debate was held a day before the deadline declared by Shah for the elimination of Naxal violence.
Last year, Shah had announced that left-wing extremism would end in the country by 31 March 2026, and a major operation had been organised against Naxals.
"The biggest achievement of the Modi government is a Naxal-free India; any researcher will accept this," he said.