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BJP’s Ravi Shankar Prasad Targets Rahul Gandhi Over Rally (Img: Dynamite News)
New Delhi: Senior BJP leader and MP Ravi Shankar Prasad on Saturday criticised Congress leader Rahul Gandhi over the INDIA bloc’s planned protest rally in Delhi on November 1, arguing that the date carries painful memories for the Sikh community.
November 1 marks the anniversary of the 1984 anti-Sikh riots, during which members of the community were targeted in Delhi and several other cities. The INDIA bloc has scheduled a rally at Ramlila Maidan to protest against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and alleged irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
Addressing a press conference at the BJP headquarters in New Delhi, Prasad questioned Gandhi’s decision to hold the rally on the anniversary of the riots. He alleged that the Congress leader was “trying to rub salt on the wounds of Sikhs”.
“Rahul Gandhi has an anarchist and Maoist mindset. Why does he want to create chaos on November 1? This is condemnable,” Prasad said.
He also criticised Gandhi over protests earlier this month, alleging that demonstrators had encircled the Supreme Court. Prasad described the planned rally as an act of “childish stubbornness” and said it revealed Gandhi’s “true face”.
“If he wants to disrespect Sikhs, he will do so,” the BJP leader said.
Prasad also questioned the Ranganath Misra Commission’s inquiry into the 1984 riots. He said the Special Investigation Team (SIT) established by the BJP-led government in 2015 had helped secure compensation for victims and punishment for those found guilty.
Prasad also highlighted the impact of protests on traders in areas including Connaught Place, Kamla Nagar and Khan Market during the festive season, spanning Dussehra, Navratri and Chhath.
He claimed a traders’ body had informed him that customer footfall had fallen by 70% and had urged organisers to call off the November 1 rally.
“Rahul Gandhi is irresponsible and indifferent to people’s plight,” Prasad said. “This kind of chaos and anti-democratic behaviour is a concern for traders.”
Asked about police action, Prasad said, “Police will do what they have to do.”
He also questioned Congress MP Imran Masood’s presence at the Jamia Millia protests, where slogans such as “Free Sharjeel Imam” and “Azaadi” were reportedly raised.
Prasad asked whether Gandhi was “playing a hostile game with foreign countries to defame India”, and added, “Kashmir is and will remain part of India.”
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Prasad predicted that the INDIA bloc rally would attract a limited crowd, saying, “I don’t think many people will come to the protest.”
He also referred to the Congress’s electoral setbacks in Assam, Puducherry and West Bengal, saying the party had lost in all three places, “so people know what they want”.
