US Congress slams Centre’s statements against Rahul Gandhi, saying they are ‘part of a clear conspiracy’

The Congress on Wednesday lashed out at leaders of the ruling NDA party for their recent statements targeting Rahul Gandhi, calling them a “clear conspiracy”.

The party also questioned the silence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah on the issue and asked the BJP to take action. It also warned that if no action was taken, Congress members could protest outside the homes of BJP MLAs and ministers.

The statement comes after BJP leaders protested outside Gandhi’s residence at 10 Janpath over his remarks in the US. The Congress also alleged that the government was “inciting hatred” and violence against the opposition leader, whom it called a threat to both the ruling party and Indian democracy.

Addressing a press conference, Congress general secretary KC Venugopal, accompanied by senior leader Abhishek Singhvi, said that a conspiracy was growing against Gandhi in the last 15 days. “These statements are a threat to Rahul Gandhi’s life. A week has passed, we were expecting Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah to step in and correct these people and ask them to apologise. This is what we expect in a democracy,” Venugopal said, according to news agency PTI.

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Venugopal also mentioned that Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge had written a letter to Prime Minister Modi expressing his concerns, but instead of responding, Union Minister Ravneet Singh Bittu made even more inflammatory remarks, calling Gandhi “terrorist number one”.

“What does this mean? Prime Minister Modi, Home Minister Shah and the Union government have kept silent. This means that this is a clear conspiracy of which the Prime Minister and the Home Minister are aware,” he also said.

“Congress will not be scared. Rahul Gandhi walked 4000 km, can the Prime Minister even walk 14 km?… What is your (BJP) game? Your leaders are inciting people to attack Rahul Gandhi and openly threaten him. Across the country, everyone is in reactive mode, especially the Indian leaders, and we are very grateful to them. If the Indian government fails to control the situation, we know how to protect our leaders. However, the BJP bears the moral responsibility for the consequences of this situation,” Venugopal added.

BJP’s threats against Rahul Gandhi will only make him stronger, says Congress member Abhishek Singhvi

Congress leader Abhishek Singhvi claimed that the BJP is “panicking” as Rahul Gandhi has often been labelled anti-national for consistently raising his voice on important issues like minority rights.

“Ask any BJP member: When the three black farming laws were passed, what did they say about the farming community? Look at the memes, tweets and abuses of 2021-22, where they called an entire community anti-national. I challenge them to show a single instance where the Prime Minister or the Home Minister intervened when their agents abused farmers,” he said.

“Democracy demands a democratic response. It may come late, but it will come, proving that the BJP’s threats against Rahul Gandhi will only make him stronger. This government is inciting hatred and violence against the leader of the opposition, a tragedy not only for the ruling party but for Indian democracy itself,” Singhvi added.

He added that despite the delays, the day of reckoning for these miscreants, who are unworthy of their constitutional role, is approaching. Singhvi also alleged that the remarks made by BJP leaders about Rahul Gandhi were part of a carefully orchestrated conspiracy to threaten his life.

“This is the politics of violence and jungle, which is defined only by fear and hatred. The truth is that such violent statements are a means of promotion for the BJP. But we will use all legal means and ensure that such people are punished,” Singhvi said.

Earlier, the Congress had filed a complaint against NDA leaders for their comments on Gandhi, alleging that they were endangering his security and threatening peace, especially ahead of the elections in Jammu and Kashmir and Haryana.