In its elaborate rebuttal to the Congress over the opposition party’s mock impeachment of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) injected a scalding dose of ridicule for Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi.
“Make him a mock prime minister in the mock parliament,” said BJP MP Sambit Patra at a press conference on Saturday evening, accusing the opposition party of attempting to dislodge the government by way of agitation because it has been unable to defeat the BJP in elections.
The Congress deems Kumar a linchpin of alleged poll irregularities carried out to provide undue benefits to the party in power, the BJP. It has been demanding his removal, especially since a newspaper report claimed that many decisions linked to the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) had been taken without the knowledge and express approval of the other two election commissioners.
The opposition party today organised a mock sitting of the Parliament and put into motion what it called a “public impeachment” of Kumar. The party repeated its allegation that the BJP-led NDA government is “illegitimate” as recent elections were “stolen”.
Reacting to the mock session, Patra took a swipe at Gandhi.
READ | ‘Mood Of The People’: INDIA Bloc ‘Impeaches’ Gyanesh Kumar At Mock Parliament, Demands Treason Case
“And my humble request to you is, brother, please do not dismantle the Parliament. In the mock parliament that has been made, on the treasury side, seat Rahul Gandhi in a kurta-pyjama -leave the T-shirt – and do his bhajan-kirtan there every day, calling him ‘Prime Minister, Prime Minister’,” added the BJP leader.
Targeting Gandhi and the Congress, Patra alleged that the opposition’s objective is not to raise concerns over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) or students’ future, but to change the government.
“Whether it is Rahul Gandhi or his associates, their intention is regime change. Their fight is not against the SIR or for students’ future. Their sole objective is to orchestrate a regime change, seize power, and install their own government at any cost, without contesting an election because people repeatedly defeated them,” he was quoted as saying by news agency PTI.
Neha Bora, the chief of the left-leaning student body AISA, who was last month at the forefront of the Cockroach Janta Party’s agitation seeking Kumar’s resignation, recently collaborated with the Congress during the latter’s protest march. She made national headlines as she was seen marching with top opposition leaders, including Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi, and Akhilesh Yadav.
She also came under attack from the BJP today.
Patra criticised Bora for allegedly expressing gratitude to Bangladesh, where a violent student protest overthrew the Sheikh Hasina government in 2024.
“From the very beginning, we have been saying that attempts are being made to create situations like those in Nepal and Bangladesh in India,” he said.
Patra also accused opposition leaders of criticising the police and armed forces on various occasions, including over the surgical strikes.
“Do you want a Pakistan in India? If you think that Indian police and the army will revolt against the government like in Pakistan, then you are living in La La land. We want to make it clear that India is not a banana republic. How dare you make such statements?” he said.
Referring to the students’ agitation, Patra said the movement that had originated at Jantar Mantar would fade away at the same place.
“India does not exist only within a 2-km radius of Jantar Mantar. It is a vast country,” he said.
