New Delhi, Oct 10 — Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP and former Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad on Saturday lashed out at the opposition parties and the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), saying that India is "not a Banana Republic" and that the country will be run from the Parliament and not from the streets.
Prasad made the remarks following the detention of several Opposition leaders, including former West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, Aam Aadmi Party Convener and former Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and former Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, and even CJP leaders after they attempted to take part in a protest at the national capital's Jantar Mantar against Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar, for which Delhi Police had denied permission.
Addressing a press conference, the BJP MP said: "India is not a banana republic. Under Prime Minister Narendra Modi's leadership, this country has never bowed and never will."
"Based on the events of today and the preceding three days, two things have become clear. One, Indian democracy has thwarted attempts to incite anarchy. Two, the country will be governed by Parliament, not by the streets," Prasad said while citing bypoll victories of the BJP-led NDA's wins in Assam, West Bengal and Puducherry on Friday.
"The BJP wishes to particularly highlight that this stellar performance in Bengal, Assam, and Puducherry occurred while a movement for anarchy was underway in Delhi and other parts of the country," the BJP MP added.
Maintaining that the Union government is not against protests, the BJP leader targeted the Opposition, saying: "Protests should take place in a democracy. But you have weaponised street protests because of your electoral defeats. And the surprising thing is that you are not even moving together."
Taking a jibe at Opposition INDIA bloc for weaponising street protests, Prasad said: "There is competition even within that."
"Rahul (Gandhi) ji held on for three days before leaving. Then came CJP, doing 'shadow boxing' for the Aam Aadmi Party. The drama began in the morning, followed by the arrival of Arvind Kejriwal and others. Then Mamata (Banerjee) ji wondered why she should be left behind, so she showed up too, and the CPI/CPI-M also joined the fray. These defeated, desperate individuals have been harassing the people of Delhi for the past three or four days and weaponising street protests," the BJP leader remarked.
Prasad added: "We are proud of the people of India for thwarting and defeating this conspiracy of theirs (opposition parties). The dignity of democracy has destroyed the chronic anarchy which the Opposition is trying to ferment."