NEW DELHI: Union home mMinister Amit Shah on Thursday launched a sharp attack on Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, accusing him of disrupting parliamentary proceedings and taking political battles to the streets to “spread anarchy”. Warning the Congress against its protest tactics, Shah said the BJP would respond wherever the opposition chose to mobilise, adding that party workers would give it a “fitting reply”.Addressing the concluding rally of the BJP’s ‘Loktantra Bachao, Arajakta Hatao’ (Save Democracy, Remove Anarchy) campaign in Karnal, Haryana, Shah questioned Rahul’s approach to parliamentary democracy and accused the Congress of making disruptions and boycotts a part of its political culture.“In a democracy, Parliament is the supreme forum for deliberation. Yet, Rahul Gandhi, you do not allow Parliament to function, nor do you engage in discussions on substantive issues. You have turned creating a ruckus and staging boycotts within Parliament into the very culture of the Congress party,” he said.Accusing the Congress leader of taking political confrontations outside Parliament, Shah said: “You refuse to let Parliament operate, choosing instead to gather crowds on the streets and spread chaos, acting like an anarchist.”He further challenged Rahul, saying the country’s 80-year-old democracy would not be swayed by such tactics. “Rahul Gandhi, remember, we are people who have come from the streets,” Shah said, warning that the BJP would take on the opposition in Parliament, state assemblies, villages, fields and on the roads.“And if you insist on gathering crowds, the workers of the BJP will be there to give you a fitting reply,” he added.Shah also said the rally marked the culmination of the campaign’s first phase, which was conducted at BJP headquarters across the country between October 22 and November 5. He claimed the party had witnessed widespread public enthusiasm and support for Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the campaign.The Union home minister was accompanied by Union minister Manohar Lal Khattar, Haryana chief minister Nayab Singh Saini and BJP leader Smriti Irani, among others. They also participated in a foot march in Karnal.
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Khattar, meanwhile, accused the Congress and its allies of using anti-national elements as proxies and alleged that foreign-funded organisations were attempting to create an atmosphere of lawlessness in the country.The BJP’s second phase of the campaign is scheduled to run from November 11 to November 30, with a focus on raising awareness about the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, voter list accuracy and constitutional processes.
