Agencies | New Delhi:
The BJP on Saturday hit back at Congress leader and Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi over his remarks that democracy in India had been destroyed, accusing him of seeking foreign interference and attempting to create instability in the country.
BJP spokesperson Pradeep Bhandari launched the attack in a post on X following Gandhi’s address at the Bharat Summit 2.0 in Hyderabad, where the Congress leader criticised the ruling BJP and questioned the role of money and influence in the country’s political system.
Bhandari alleged that Gandhi was seeking the removal of the Narendra Modi government with the support of foreign delegates and individuals associated with billionaire George Soros. He also accused the Congress leader of seeking foreign interference in India’s democratic process.
“Rahul Gandhi has become puppet of foreign powers and George Soros wanting instability in India!” Bhandari said.
He further claimed that Gandhi’s remarks and his interaction with foreign delegates at the summit reflected an attempt to bring about regime change with external assistance.
“Rahul Gandhi wants foreign interference in Indian Democracy. Rahul Gandhi wants Regime Change with Foreign help!” he wrote.
Questioning Gandhi’s role as Leader of Opposition, Bhandari accused him of acting in the interests of foreign powers and described the Congress as “anti-India”.
The BJP leader’s remarks followed Gandhi’s address at the Hyderabad summit, where the Congress leader alleged that democracy in India had been destroyed in 2014 and that the country’s electoral landscape had undergone significant changes since the BJP came to power.
Gandhi said the Opposition had remained in a state of shock for nearly a decade after witnessing what he described as an entirely different style of election campaigning and changes in the electoral system.
“Millions and millions and millions of dollars injected into the political system, completely new type of campaign, a drama like we had never seen before,” he said.
He argued that the earlier electoral landscape, characterised by close contests and coalition governments, had been transformed. Gandhi said the Opposition initially struggled to understand these changes and began questioning its own political approach, ideology and strategy.
Gandhi also claimed that the BJP’s assets had increased 11-fold over a decade. He further alleged that seven million new voters had been added in three months and that all of them had voted for the BJP.
