"Gandhi's 'Satyagraha' Was For Society": BJP On Congress Protest

The BJP on Sunday hit out at the Congress for its protests against the disqualification of party leader Rahul Gandhi from parliament, calling it a campaign against the country's constitution and the court's verdict which found him guilty of defaming an "entire backward community".

Addressing a press conference, BJP spokesperson Sudhanshu Trivedi also dubbed the Congress agitation an "insult" to Mahatma Gandhi, saying while the Father of the Nation had organised Satyagraha for social causes, the Congress was holding "so-called Satyagraha" for personal reasons.

The Congress agitation is a "brazen" display of its arrogance after Mr Gandhi's conviction in a defamation case in Gujarat and his "automatic" disqualification as Lok Sabha MP as a result of the court's verdict, he charged.

The Congress's 'Sankalp Satyagraha' has nothing to do with fighting for truth, he added.

The BJP leader said Gandhi was convicted by a court in Surat after the due legal process and his disqualification as a Lok Sabha MP was an automatic consequence under the relevant law.

"Then, Satyagraha for what?" the BJP leader asked.

"Is it to justify the way you insulted the entire backward community of the country, or against the court which sentenced you,

or against the provision under which you have to be disqualified," he said, asking Congress to clarify.

Stating that some of the Congress leaders who were allegedly involved in the 1984 anti-Sikh riots were also participating in the party's agitation, the BJP leader asked the opposition party to clarify if their Satyagraha organised at Mahatma Gandhi's Samadhi Sthal in Rajghat was also against 'Ahimsa' (non-violence).