New Delhi, Oct 1 — Kerala BJP President, Rajeev Chandrasekhar, on Thursday launched a sharp attack on Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, alleging that the Leader of the Opposition (LoP) in the Lok Sabha was relying on lies and misinformation and lacking a positive political agenda.
Addressing a press conference at the BJP headquarters in New Delhi, Chandrasekhar said he had described Gandhi as a 'pre-eminent fraudster' in Indian politics a few days ago and stood by the statement.
“I would like to present the last 12 years of Rahul Gandhi’s politics and invite you to come to the same conclusion that Indians have come to in 2014, 2019 and 2024,” he claimed, describing LoP Gandhi as an 'inauthentic politician'.
Chandrasekhar accused LoP Gandhi of repeatedly making claims that, according to him, were subsequently proved wrong.
He cited LoP Gandhi’s allegations concerning electronic voting machines and claims that democracy was being stolen.
He also referred to 2019 remarks on the Pulwama attack and Balakot, saying the leader had questioned whether the Pulwama incident had been stage-managed for the elections and had denied that the Balakot air strike had taken place.
Turning to Kerala, Chandrasekhar accused the Congress and the CPI(M) of maintaining an understanding despite their public political differences.
He alleged that the Congress-led government was reluctant to proceed against former Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan despite what he described as evidence of corruption and a case under the Prevention of Corruption Act.
“The Congress and CPI-M pretend to be two but are one,” he alleged.
Chandrasekhar also targeted LoP Gandhi over Sabarimala.
He recalled LoP Gandhi’s statement that the Congress would stand with Sabarimala devotees and expose the alleged gold loot of the temple.
He alleged that despite the political campaign over the issue, no arrests had been made and the case had not progressed so far.
He also criticised LoP Gandhi’s recent remarks on patriarchy, questioning the Congress leader’s position in the context of the party’s alliance with the Indian Union Muslim League in Kerala.
Chandrasekhar opened his press conference by paying tribute to Captain Smit Machchhar, the Indian flydubai pilot who was seriously injured after an alleged attack by his co-pilot during a flight to Tel Aviv carrying 174 passengers.
The aircraft was subsequently diverted safely to Saudi Arabia.
“Every Indian today is praying for his safe recovery,” Chandrasekhar said, describing Machchhar’s courage as a matter of pride for the country.
Chandrasekhar’s remarks came amid an escalating political confrontation between the Congress, CPI(M) and BJP in Kerala, with the three parties trading allegations over the electoral process, corruption and political violence.