Pure theatrics, Congress leadership at fault for its losses, says BJP

As the Opposition leaders marched to the Supreme Court on Monday to file a petition against Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar, the BJP hit back at Leader of Opposition (LoP) Rahul Gandhi and the Congress, labelling the march as “pure theatrics”. Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan accused the Congress of blaming the Election Commission (EC) for its defeats instead of its own “visionless leadership” for the electoral setbacks.

“The Congress seeks to mislead the public by questioning institutions such as the judiciary, the Election Commission, and the Armed Forces, while also relying on external forces to advance its political agenda. It has already lost credibility in the eyes of the people and is facing continued political decline,” Chouhan said at a press conference at the BJP headquarters.

“The Congress’s electoral defeats have continued unabated. Everyone is aware of the outcome of the recent by-elections. The Congress’s position in Assam has also been evident to all. The party suffered electoral defeats in Tripura and the local body elections in Rajasthan, as well as in Himachal Pradesh before that. Losing one election after another and venting its frustration on the streets through protests has become the Congress’s fate,” Chouhan alleged.

The “Chalo Delhi” protest called by the Congress witnessed a major show of Opposition unity, with almost the entire top leadership of the INDIA bloc taking part (Express Photo by Abhinav Saha)

“By blaming Constitutional institutions for its electoral defeats, the Congress is committing a sin. The reason for the Congress’s defeats is not because of the EC, but because of the Congress’s own ‘vichar shunya’ (visionless) leadership, which is devoid of ideas,” he said.

Targeting Gandhi over the march to the Supreme Court for a meeting with Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant — who turned down the Opposition party’s request — Chouhan said everybody knows the LoP’s stance on the judiciary and his views about a former CJI.

“Nevertheless, even meeting the CJI involves a specific procedure. You cannot simply write a letter and show up whenever you feel like it. This is just a drama, pure theatrics, nothing but theatrics,” said the senior BJP leader.

Chouhan also criticised Gandhi for calling the Congress and its anti-CEC protest “Shiv Ki Baarat”, saying, “Those who oppose Ram are talking about Lord Shiv. It is not Lord Shiv’s ‘Baraat’ but a mob of unruly elements attempting to spread anarchy on the streets.”

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The Union Minister pointed to “leadership disputes” in the Congress in Uttar Pradesh, the recent change in the party’s state unit president in Punjab, and ongoing “power struggles in Karnataka and Telangana” to allege that its electoral losses stem “from its own leadership, which neither understands the aspirations of the country and its people nor remains rooted in India’s values, traditions and way of life”.

“The Congress undermined democratic institutions during the Emergency, which was a dark chapter in the country’s democratic history. The Congress has already been wiped out in several major states across the country. The Congress has virtually ceased to exist in several states. Barring three or four states, it has been reduced to the position of a junior partner in other states as well,” he said.

Chouhan said in states such as Tamil Nadu, Jharkhand, and Uttar Pradesh, the Congress had been “reduced to the position of a junior partner and a parasitic party”.

“To gain power, they seek support at times from Leftists, at times from ‘cockroaches’, at times from anti-national forces such as George Soros … Regardless of how much unrest the Congress attempts to create through street-level agitation, it will not succeed. The Congress has already lost public confidence and faces further political decline in the future,” he said.

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In a post on X, Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju termed the Congress a “directionless party” and said it needs a “mature and committed leader” to improve its electoral performance.

“Protest is the right of every citizen but brazenly abusing constitutional authorities is deplorable. Congress Party is direction-less now. But they can improve their numbers if they have a matured and committed leader who doesn’t enjoy spending 200 holidays in a year!” he said.

“I had said it earlier, next target of the Congress Party is judiciary. Congress wants to destroy all the constitutional and democratic institutions of India. All anti-India gangs are joining hands. All patriotic Indians will also come together,” he said in response to a post by the Congress’s Kerala unit that was later deleted.

Former Union Minister Anurag Thakur accused Opposition leaders who participated in the march of having no understanding of the rules and laws.

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“They only know how to create anarchy, instability, how to undermine constitutional offices and institutions; to tarnish India’s image globally and weaken its reputation. It is unfortunate that the country is being made to witness the theatrics and tantrums of such an unstable, anarchic and unserious Leader of Opposition,” Thakur said.

“There are allegations against the Election Commission, but where is the proof, I ask you? … If you are making allegations, you have to produce proof. What rules and procedures were bypassed, which law was broken? If the job of the Opposition is to make allegations, it is also to substantiate them,” he said.