The BJP on Thursday accused Congress leader Rahul Gandhi of bypassing Parliament and indulging in "petty politics", alleging that he was avoiding a debate in the House while attempting to derive political mileage from student protests.
The attack came after the Kayastha Pathshala Trust revoked permission for Gandhi's proposed 'Chhatron Ki Goonj' programme at KP Ground in Prayagraj on August 8, citing an Allahabad High Court order and waterlogging at the venue. The Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha was scheduled to interact with students on alleged examination paper leaks and other issues affecting them.
Addressing reporters in the Parliament House complex, BJP national general secretary Tarun Chugh alleged that Gandhi was avoiding Parliament despite the Monsoon Session being underway.
"While Parliament is in session, you are bypassing the country's highest democratic institution for petty politics. You are not prepared to come to the House and participate in a debate, the highest forum of democracy. This shows that you have become mentally bankrupt," Chugh said.
He alleged that the Congress was reluctant to participate in a debate because it had "neither issues nor logic" and claimed the party's "lies and misleading narrative" would be exposed during a discussion in Parliament.
Chugh also accused the Congress of trying to "hijack" student protests for political gains while ignoring students in states where it is part of the ruling alliance.
"Students are struggling and raising issues, but the Congress party's so-called intellectual leader and dim-witted Rahul Gandhi does not have even a minute to listen to or understand their pain and suffering. This reflects the double standards of the Congress party and Rahul Gandhi," he said.
Claiming that the Congress was attempting to exploit students' agitations for electoral gains, Chugh said, "The country is watching how the Congress adopts every possible tactic to derive political mileage in the name of students. It even tries to hijack the protest by arriving in buses. Yet it does not have time for the students of Jharkhand. This shows the Congress party's double character and double standards."
The Congress has been targeting the Centre over alleged examination irregularities and paper leaks, while Rahul Gandhi has been seeking greater engagement with students on the issue.
