With Rahul Gandhi away on an overseas trip as the Congress and its allies stage protests against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, Union Home Minister Amit Shah criticised the Leader of Opposition, predicting that the Congress would remain out of power for the next 30 years.
Speaking at an event where he launched projects worth Rs 8,941 crore aimed at cleaning the Yamuna, Shah took a dig at Gandhi's reported four-day visit to Vietnam.
“I know you can't hear me, you're sitting somewhere abroad. You don't even explain why, but that's okay, that's your personal life... But once you land in Delhi, listen to me; your turn won't come for the next thirty years,” Shah said.
Gandhi's reported Vietnam trip comes as the INDIA bloc and the Cockroach Janta Party lead protests across the country over alleged irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise and the alleged involvement of Gyanesh Kumar. The BJP once again seized the opportunity to criticise Gandhi over his foreign travel.
The BJP accused the Congress leader of taking a holiday after tiring himself out by “shouting lies” during protests in Delhi. The party also posted a video on X that purportedly showed Gandhi travelling on a flight to Vietnam, raising the question of what agenda he pursued during his overseas visits.
BJP leader Sambit Patra alleged that Gandhi was involved in plans for regime change and claimed he travelled abroad to receive “classes from George Soros”. BJP spokesperson Pradeep Bhandari also questioned whether the Congress leader was travelling for a break or to meet his “chaos collaborators”.
The Congress responded by asserting that Gandhi had the right to travel wherever he wished during his personal time.
Shah also criticised the Congress and its allies for accusing the BJP of stealing votes, pointing to states where the opposition parties have been out of power for extended periods.
“You haven't won an election in Bengal for 54 years... You haven't been elected in Arunachal Pradesh for 12 years, and in Delhi for 18 years,” he said.
Shah added that when he predicted the BJP would remain in power for another 30 years, the opposition claimed that elections were rigged and questioned how he could make such a prediction.
“Unlike someone who has to travel abroad every six months, I was born here, live here and will die here,” he said, in an apparent reference to Gandhi.
The Home Minister contrasted Gandhi's overseas travel with what he described as the BJP's efforts to address public grievances, citing Prime Minister Narendra Modi and party workers as examples.
“From the BJP's booth workers to Narendra Modi, millions of BJP workers know the suffering of the people. They work hard to address them,” Shah said.
He argued that protests and demonstrations were not enough to resolve problems and urged elected representatives to present concrete plans for the constituencies they represented.
Referring to pollution in the Yamuna, Shah accused the Aam Aadmi Party and the Congress of failing to clean the river despite having governed for years. He said BJP-led governments at the Centre and in the states would work towards cleaning the river throughout its course.
“The BJP, under the leadership of Narendra Modi, will have the privilege of cleaning the entire Yamuna, from Yamunotri to Sangam. Now, with these kinds of political tactics and mob rule, you can't deny the nation's mandate,” he said.
