BJP’s sharp retort to Rahul Gandhi; accuses him of lying

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) launched a scathing attack on Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday over his unparliamentary remarks against the central government, accusing him of making false and baseless claims during the Lok Sabha debate on the anti-paper leak bill. Addressing a press conference, BJP national spokesperson Sambit Patra referred to Gandhi’s use of the word “idiot” during the debate, stating that no student is an “idiot” or a blind follower (*andhbhakt*). Patra asserted that the BJP has respected students and their concerns by introducing a stringent law to curb paper leaks, whereas he alleged that Gandhi insulted them during his speech. Patra also claimed that governments prior to 2014 had failed to tackle the issue of exam paper leaks. He noted that the paper leak issue had persisted from the time of independence until 2014, and it was the Narendra Modi government that strengthened the anti-paper leak legislation. Referring to the controversy surrounding Gandhi’s repeated use of the word “idiot” during his speech, Patra mentioned that Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju had repeatedly reminded the Congress leader that the term is not permitted under parliamentary rules. Patra stated that Rijiju repeatedly showed the rulebook, explaining that the word “idiot” is unparliamentary and cannot be used; yet, disregarding the rules, Gandhi continued to use the term. Targeting the Leader of the Opposition, Patra accused him of misleading Parliament and using language unbecoming of a member of the House. Patra alleged that Rahul Gandhi lied in the House and used unparliamentary language. The BJP leader also dismissed Gandhi’s allegation that Union Home Minister Amit Shah had ordered firing on protesting students during a march to Parliament. Patra said that Rahul Gandhi had no evidence to support the allegations leveled against the Home Minister.