New Delhi, Oct 15 (IANS) BJP MP Sambit Patra on Thursday came down heavily on the Opposition over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, claiming that senior Supreme Court advocate Prashant Bhushan has exposed its real agenda by stating that the ongoing fight was aimed at a change of government.
Patra said Bhushan’s remarks made it clear that the Opposition was not fighting over “SIR or the future of children” but is seeking to capture power at any cost.
“This country is not anyone’s private property. It belongs to 140 crore people. The people of the country have been saying for a long time that Rahul Gandhi and his associates are not concerned about SIR. They are not even fighting for the future of children. Their only objective is to bring about a coup, capture power at any cost and form their own government,” Patra asserted.
Accusing the Opposition of attempting to come to power without contesting elections or without putting in the required political effort, the BJP MP said the electorate had repeatedly rejected its leadership.
He asserted that the Constitution provides a clear and democratic mechanism for a change of government through elections, in which people exercise their franchise every five years.
“Changing a government through elections is the only legitimate way. But the Opposition does not believe in this process and wants to take the path of anarchy. Prashant Bhushan has openly acknowledged this thinking during his press conference,” Patra alleged.
Taking aim at Congress and Rahul Gandhi’s electoral performance, Patra claimed that the party had failed to win polls under his leadership and had remained out of power in several states, including Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh, for a long time.
Taking a swipe at the Congress leadership, he said those who could not even change their own leader were talking about changing the government.
Patra also made strong allegations against Rahul Gandhi and the Gandhi family, calling them anti-national and accusing them of having compromised national interests in favour of foreign powers.
He alleged that certain individuals were acting as agents of foreign interests and attempting to put the country at stake for monetary gains.
“Some people are working as agents of foreign powers. For a few rupees, attempts have been made to mortgage Bharat Mata. These people are dancing like puppets at the behest of foreign countries,” he remarked.
Referring to the reported remarks of Neha Bora, who had drawn parallels between the Bangladesh movement and the participation of Gen-Z in democratic struggles worldwide, Patra questioned the comparison with India.
Bora had reportedly said that the Bangladesh movement had shown the way to Gen-Z across the world, describing the struggle there as one for democracy and voting rights. She had also said that India’s Gen-Z was fighting for democracy and the right to vote.
Responding to the remarks, Patra said that while the movement in India might have started at Jantar Mantar, it would also end there.
“The movement that started at Jantar Mantar will not go beyond it. It will not even get an opportunity to move one kilometre further,” he said.
Emphasising that India could not be viewed through the limited geographical boundaries of the protest site, Patra said the country was a vast civilisation shaped by thousands of years of collective consciousness.
He warned against attempts to play with the sentiments of the country, saying India’s national emotions and civilisational identity should not be taken lightly.
The BJP MP also objected to Rahul Gandhi’s reference to the ‘Tandav’ of Lord Shiva, claiming that he had never heard the expression being used in the context in which Gandhi had allegedly invoked it.
Taking his attack further, Patra said, “This is not the Tandav of Lord Shiva. This is a romance between anti-national elements and Pakistan.”
He claimed that the entire country was watching what he described as such a relationship and asserted that India would give an appropriate response.
–IANS
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