Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, and other senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders have sharply criticized Congress MP Rahul Gandhi following his recent comments on the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and the BJP. The remarks were made during his speech at the inauguration of the new Congress headquarters, ‘Indira Gandhi Bhawan,’ in Delhi.
In response to Gandhi’s speech, Puri suggested that Rahul Gandhi should “get his mental stability checked,” after the Congress leader claimed that the Congress party was not just challenging the BJP or RSS’s ideology, but the Indian state itself. Gandhi had attacked RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat for suggesting that India’s independence should be celebrated on the day of the Ram temple consecration rather than on August 15. Gandhi described Bhagwat’s comments as “treasonous.”
Health Minister JP Nadda also expressed his discontent, accusing Gandhi of revealing Congress’s “ugly truth.” Nadda took to X (formerly Twitter), stating that Gandhi had openly acknowledged his fight was against the Indian state. He further alleged that the Congress leader had ties to “urban naxals” and the “deep state” and was attempting to sow division and undermine the nation’s integrity.
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman also questioned Gandhi’s remarks, pointing out the contradiction between his role as the Leader of Opposition (LoP) and his stance against the Indian state. She asked, “The LoP, who was sworn in by taking an oath on the Constitution, is now saying, ‘We are now fighting the BJP, the RSS, and the Indian State itself.’ So what for are you carrying a copy of the constitution in your hand?”
BJP IT cell chief Amit Malviya shared a video clip of Gandhi’s speech on X, accusing him of declaring an “open war against the Indian state.” Malviya likened his rhetoric to “straight out of George Soros’s playbook.”
During his speech, Rahul Gandhi criticized the current leadership, claiming that the people in power “don’t salute the tricolour” and do not believe in the national flag or the Constitution. He warned of a “secretive society” that seeks to control India through one individual, suppressing the voices of its citizens.
Gandhi emphasized that the Congress party stood as the only viable alternative to the BJP-led government. He further stated that Congress members were facing systematic attacks due to their refusal to bow down to the BJP and RSS.
The exchange marks a fresh escalation in the ongoing political rhetoric between the BJP and Congress, with both sides sharpening their attacks ahead of future electoral battles.
