Rahul Gandhi is ‘Liar of Opposition’, not Leader of Opposition: Gujarat BJP

Ahmedabad: Gujarat Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) chief spokesperson Anil Patel on Saturday accused Congress leader Rahul Gandhi of spreading misleading information about constitutional institutions, as the party announced a statewide campaign to counter the Opposition’s allegations over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.

The BJP’s ‘Save Democracy, Remove Anarchy’ campaign will begin on Sunday, with a march in Surat, followed by programmes in Ahmedabad and Rajkot on October 27 and Vadodara on October 28.

The party said it would organise further marches across districts and cities in Gujarat, along with press conferences and public outreach programmes.

Addressing a press conference at the BJP’s state headquarters in Gandhinagar, Patel accused the Congress and other Opposition parties of attempting to create distrust in constitutional institutions, including the Election Commission, through what he described as "false and misleading information" about SIR.

"Opposition is acting out of political frustration and attempting to mislead the public rather than accepting the people’s mandate and playing a constructive role," he said.

Referring to Rahul Gandhi’s functioning, Patel said: “Rahul Gandhi is behaving not as the ‘Leader of Opposition’ but as the ‘Liar of Opposition’.”

Patel also accused the Congress of placing political interests above national interest in its pursuit of power.

"The party’s allegations against constitutional institutions and its position on issues such as infiltration are turning matters of national interest into political confrontations," he said.

He maintained that the Opposition would not succeed in creating an atmosphere of anarchy or misleading the public.

"The campaign is intended to present facts in response to the Opposition’s claims about SIR and strengthen public confidence in democratic and constitutional institutions," the party said.

The first march will take place at Adajan in Surat at 5 p.m. on Sunday in the presence of state BJP president Jagdish Vishwakarma and Union Minister C. R. Patil. State general secretary Prashant Korat will also attend.

On October 27, Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel will attend the march in Ahmedabad, where state general secretary Ajay Brahmbhatt will also be present.

A separate march in Rajkot on the same day will be attended by Vishwakarma, state co-in-charge Ajay Mahawar, Union Minister Mansukh Mandaviya, Union Minister Nimuben Bambhaniya and state general secretary Aniruddh Dave, among other leaders.

Deputy Chief Minister Harsh Sanghavi will attend the Vadodara march on October 28, along with state general secretary Hitendrasinh Chauhan.

"The marches would bring together state ministers, MPs, MLAs, party office-bearers, elected representatives, workers, community leaders, traders’ association representatives, women, non-governmental organisation representatives and other citizens. Similar programmes will subsequently be organised across the state," party leaders said.

The campaign will also include press conferences in districts and cities to address the Opposition’s claims regarding SIR, discussions with eminent citizens, and youth interactions on the theme ‘Democracy vs Mobocracy’.

Competitions for students on strengthening democracy and outreach programmes involving influential citizens and social media influencers are also planned.

Youth discussions will cover India’s democratic history, the role of constitutional institutions, the Congress’ past use of Article 356 and the imposition of President’s Rule in various states.

Restrictions on the press and media during the Emergency will also feature, alongside discussions on institutional autonomy, infiltration and issues concerning national interest.

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