
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday said his party was fighting the "BJP, RSS and the Indian state itself", triggering a row with the BJP alleging that everything the Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha does or says is in the direction of breaking India and dividing the society.
The Congress leader made these remarks while addressing a gathering during the inauguration of the party's new headquarters in Delhi, where he criticised the BJP and its ideological parent, the RSS.
"Do not think that we are fighting a fair fight. There is no fairness in this. If you believe that we are fighting a political organisation called the BJP, that we are fighting a political organisation called the RSS, you have not understood what is going on," Rahul said addressing Congress leaders.
"The BJP and the RSS have captured every single institution of our country. We are now fighting the BJP, the RSS and the Indian state itself," he added.
The remark drew sharp criticism from the BJP, with party chief and Union minister JP Nadda saying the Congress' "ugly truth" has been exposed by its own leader.
Nadda alleged on X that it is not a secret that Gandhi and his ecosystem have close links with urban Naxals and the deep state who want to "defame, demean and discredit" India. "'Hidden no more, Congress' ugly truth now stands exposed by their own leader," Nadda said.
"I 'compliment' Mr. Rahul Gandhi for saying clearly what the nation knows- that he is fighting the Indian state!" he said, alleging that the Congress has a history of encouraging forces that want to weaken India. Everything he has done or said has been in the direction of breaking India and dividing our society, Nadda alleged.
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman questioned why Rahul carried a copy of the Constitution if he believed the Opposition was up against the State.
"The LoP, who was sworn in by taking oath on the Constitution, is now saying, 'We are now fighting the BJP, the RSS and the Indian State itself.' So, @INCIndia and @RahulGandhi, what for are you carrying a copy of the Constitution in your hand?," she wrote on X.
Meanwhile, Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri suggested that Rahul Gandhi should "get his mental stability checked."
Rahul Gandhi attacked RSS leader Mohan Bhagwat, who had earlier stated that India’s true independence should be celebrated on the day of the Ram temple consecration, rather than on August 15.
BJP spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla slammed Rahul Gandhi, for his remarks on the Indian state and said that his statement is not a coincidence but a pre-planned experiment and sponsored business by George Soros.
"Today Rahul made it public that by fighting Modi and BJP he has started fighting with the nation. He is fighting with India and Indian states and it's not a coincidence but it's a pre-planned experiment and sponsored business by George Soros."
BJP ally JDU also attacked the Congress, party leader Rajiv Ranjan Prasad said that there was no truth in the Congress' allegations
"The blotted past of Congress does not allow it to let them ask such questions. Congress has raised such points earlier too...But they were defeated in the recent Lok Sabha and Vidhan Sabha elections in different states. The reason behind its defeat is that there is no truth in the allegations of Congress. The people are witnessing increased respect for constitutional institutions," he said.
Gandhi also hit out at RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat, saying his remark that India got "true independence" after the Ram temple consecration amounts to treason and is an insult to every Indian. He said the Congress was getting its new headquarters at a time when the RSS chief has stated that India never achieved independence in 1947 and that true independence in India was achieved when the Ram mandir was built.
"Mohan Bhagwat has the audacity to say to the nation what he thinks about the independence movement and the Constitution. In fact, what he said yesterday is treason... Because he is stating that the Constitution is invalid and everything, the fight against the British was invalid.
"He has the audacity to say this publicly. In any other country, he would be arrested and tried. That is a fact," Gandhi said.
"To say that India did not get independence in 1947 is an insult to every single Indian person. And it is time to stop listening to this nonsense that these people think they can keep parroting out and shouting and screaming," he said.
The Congress leader also hit out at the Election Commission and alleged there is a "serious problem" with the country's election system and the poll body needs to come clean on the issue of voter lists in Maharashtra and Haryana elections.
"I want to ask you why would the Election Commission refuse to give us voters' lists of the Maharashtra election. What purpose is served by not giving us and the rest of the opposition the voter lists of the Maharashtra Lok Sabha and Vidhan Sabha election? Why will it damage the EC? Why are they not giving us the list?," Rahul said.
"It is the duty of the EC to ensure transparency in elections. If there is an increase of one crore in (the number of) voters in Lok Sabha and Vidhan Sabha in Maharashtra, it is the duty and sacred responsibility of the Election Commission to show us exactly why this has happened. There is a serious problem with our election system," he added said.
Gandhi said they might find it "very difficult" to accept this because they were the people who have put in place the election system.
"But we have to keep it in mind there is a problem. And it is the duty of the Election Commission to come clean and give us the data of the Maharashtra and Haryana elections," he noted.
Attacking the BJP, Rahul alleged, "People who are in power today do not salute the tricolour, do not believe in the national flag, do not believe in the Constitution. And, they have a completely different vision of India than we do. They want India to be run by a shady, hidden secret society, they want India to be run by one man and they want to crush the voice of this country."