Congress Should Boycott Rahul Gandhi Instead Of Journalists: BJP

The BJP on Friday took a swipe at the Congress over the opposition INDIA bloc's decision to boycott 14 broadcast media anchors, saying shunning media or any other institution will do it no good and the party can only benefit by boycotting Rahul Gandhi as he has no strength.

There is no institution in India that this opposition alliance has not attacked, be it the Election Commission or courts, BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra told reporters.

All of them are doing their work well, he said before targeting Rahul Gandhi.

"If there is someone who is not up to it and who the Congress should indeed boycott for its own benefit, then his name is Rahul Gandhi... Your leader has no strength. Who all will you boycott? If you have to boycott and move ahead, then boycott your leader." The Congress leader speaks about 'Mohabbat' (love) but sells 'Nafrat' (hate), he claimed.

Sambit Patra asked if the list of journalists that the opposition alliance will boycott is more of a "target list", indicating that they will be slapped with criminal cases and will not be spared. If they are targeted by some people, including members of these parties, then who will be responsible, he posed.

Hitting out at the opposition for Congress leader Saifuddin Soz's and National Conference leader Farooq Abdullah's pitch for talks with Pakistan, he said the remarks came soon after the death of security officials in an encounter with terrorists in Kashmir and added that the INDIA bloc should boycott leaders like them than journalists.

Soz has asked the Union government to try to understand the minds of militants, he said, condemning the Congress leader. It is such a painful and unfortunate statement, he added.

Sambit Patra said that the Congress has a history of going after the media, citing the first amendment brought by Jawaharlal Nehru to curb absolute freedom of expression, the Emergency announced by Indira Gandhi and the defamation law proposed by Rajiv Gandhi.

Congress leaders questioned the existence of Lord Ram while the likes of Bihar minister and RJD leader Chandra Shekhar targeted Ramchairtmanas. These leaders are not boycotted but journalists questioning these parties about corruption in states ruled by them and saying "good things" about G20 and India are boycotted, he said.

"Netas can raise questions on God but journalists can't question these netas," Sambit Patra said.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)