Congress leader Rahul Gandhi was in Ahmedabad this Saturday. PTI
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's remarks on the Ram Janmabhoomi movement led by BJP veteran Lal Krishna Advani has drawn a sharp response, with the BJP doubling down on Prime Minister Narendra Modi's "childish mind" jab at Mr Gandhi.
BJP veteran and Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan described Rahul Gandhi as "bal buddhi" (childish) and accused him of "spreading confusion and lies".
"Rahul Gandhi is a childish person who has not matured yet. He has not yet become the Leader of the Opposition properly. He says we (INDIA bloc) defeated the Ram Janmabhoomi movement. Rahul ji, Ram is our existence, our ideal, our life, our God, and Ram is the identity of India," Mr Chouhan told reporters.
Referring to the Ram Janmabhoomi movement, he said, "This movement has thrown the Congress out of power many times and paved the way for the construction of a divine and grand temple, but Rahul Gandhi only lies."
Mr Chouhan also accused Mr Gandhi of lying in Parliament about Agniveer martyrs and the government of not providing a Minimum Support Price.
"He (Rahul) knows nothing else other than lying and spreading confusion. That is why this 'Bal Buddhi' person Rahul Gandhi keeps saying anything that comes to his mind. No one understands how he was able to defeat the (Ram Mandir) movement.
"Just saying whatever comes to mind has become the tendency of the Congress. Under his (Rahul Gandhi) leadership, the Congress will invite only misfortune," he added.
BJP leaders have been infantilising Mr Gandhi and saying he has a "childish mind" after Prime Minister Narendra Modi's "balak buddhi" jab at the Congress MP, now Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha.
The remarks in question were made by the Congress leader during his visit to Ahmedabad. He was speaking about the Faizabad Lok Sabha seat -- of which Ayodhya is a part -- by Congress ally Samajwadi Party.
"By defeating the BJP in Ayodhya, INDIA bloc has defeated the Ram Mandir movement that was launched by the BJP veteran Lal Krishna Advani. What I am saying is something very big... Congress party and INDIA bloc defeated them in Ayodhya," Mr Gandhi said Saturday.
The Rath Yatra was launched by Mr Advani to shore up support for the construction of a temple at the site in Ayodhya believed to be the birthplace of Lord Ram. The yatra was taken out in 1990 and multiple communal clashes were reported along its route. Two years later, the 16th century Babri Masjid located at the Ayodhya site was demolished by Hindu activists who believed it was built on the ruins of an ancient temple to mark Ram's birthplace. Nearly three decades later, a Supreme Court ruling paved the way for a construction of a Ram Temple at the site.
With the BJP playing up the Ram temple construction in its election campaign, the Faizabad election was keenly watched, and the BJP's defeat there was a key talking point on result day.
While speaking in Ahmedabad, Mr Gandhi also claimed that the BJP would be defeated in its stronghold Gujarat in the 2027 state polls. "Together we are going to defeat them in Gujarat. We will defeat Narendra Modi and BJP in Gujarat just like we defeated them in Ayodhya," Mr Gandhi said.
This would be quite a task because in the 2022 election, the BJP swept the state, winning 156 of the 182 Assembly seats and the Congress managed just 17.
Mr Gandhi's remarks also drew the criticism of Chirag Paswan, Union Minister and leader of BJP's ally Lok Janshakti Party (Ramvilas).
Responding to the Congress leader's remarks, he said, "First up of all, Rahul Gandhi should learn it is Faizabad Lok Sabha, not Ayodhya. Ayodhya is a Vidhan Sabha constituency and is part of it. In such cases, if they think Ayodhya's win is big for them, then we are also analysing our mistakes and working towards it. They couldn't even cross the mark of 100+ seats in Lok Sabha and are claiming big things, I think their pride won't stay for long. In upcoming days, there are elections in various states, the results will show how strong NDA is."