Mangaluru: BJP national spokesperson and senior Supreme Court advocate Gaurav Bhatia launched a sharp attack on Congress leader Rahul Gandhi during a press conference in Mangaluru on Friday, November 6, describing him as a “foolish kid” with a “toolkit” and accusing the Congress of attempting to create unrest in the country.
Bhatia levelled several allegations against the Congress and Rahul Gandhi while addressing the media as part of the BJP’s campaign, “Save Democracy, Eradicate Anarchy”. He questioned the Congress’s opposition to the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls and criticised Rahul Gandhi’s demand for a debate with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Bhatia questions Congress over SIR
Speaking about the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls, Bhatia claimed that the exercise had been conducted 12 times in the country, including 10 occasions during Congress rule.
He questioned why the Congress had not challenged the process when it was conducted in 2004 but was now describing it as unconstitutional under the BJP-led government.
Bhatia also alleged that the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government, which was in power from 2004 to 2014, had avoided conducting the exercise because of minority appeasement politics and to facilitate illegal infiltrators from Bangladesh.
These remarks were part of the BJP spokesperson’s criticism of the Congress’s position on electoral-roll revision. The allegations regarding the UPA government’s intentions were made by Bhatia and were not independently established in the report.
Rahul Gandhi’s debate challenge criticised
Responding to Rahul Gandhi’s demand for a debate with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Bhatia advised the Congress leader to first understand the Constitution of India.
He said Gandhi should familiarise himself with the constitutional provisions before seeking a debate with the Prime Minister. Bhatia further claimed that Gandhi would be unable to sustain such a debate for even five minutes.
Using another personal jibe, the BJP spokesperson described Rahul Gandhi as a “defective product” that never gets launched properly.
His remarks were part of a broader attack on the Congress leader over his political statements and criticism of the Union government.
BJP leaders attend press conference
Dakshina Kannada MP Captain Brijesh Chowta, BJP district president Satish Kumpala and other party leaders were present at the press conference in Mangaluru.
The interaction formed part of the BJP’s political campaign against what the party describes as attempts by the Opposition to create instability and weaken public confidence in democratic institutions.
Bhatia accused Rahul Gandhi and the Congress of pursuing a political approach that, according to him, could create confusion and unrest. The Congress’s criticism of the government and the electoral process remains part of the wider political debate between the ruling BJP and the Opposition.
The press conference brought the BJP’s criticism of the Congress’s position on SIR, Rahul Gandhi’s political statements and his proposed debate with the Prime Minister into focus in coastal Karnataka.