New Delhi [India], September 20 (ANI): Senior Congress leader and Rajya Sabha MP Pramod Tiwari launched a blistering attack on the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Sunday, describing the ruling party as a "dying lamp" that relies on intimidation, arrests, and institutional manipulation because it lacks the courage to face opponents democratically in elections.
Speaking to ANI, Tiwari weighed in on multiple political developments, including the arrest of a Congress candidate in West Bengal, allegations against Rahul Gandhi over his Indore address, and the reported deletion of former Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's name from voter revision lists.
Reacting to the arrest of Congress candidate Milan Pradhan in connection with a decades-old case ahead of by-elections, Tiwari termed the action a blatant political vendetta.
"Pratyaksham Kim Pramanam (what is evident needs no proof). First, you try to threaten, intimidate, or lure opposing candidates to your side. When you lack the courage to contest fairly, you arrest a Congress candidate in a 20-year-old case in which he has no fault, even though he had been moving around freely for decades without any charges," Tiwari said.
"Does the BJP not have the strength left to win elections through democratic means? They either buy out candidates or send them to jail. The BJP has become a 'bujhta hua chirag' (a dying lamp) in Indian politics," the senior Congress leader added.
Dismissing Union Minister Pralhad Joshi's allegations that Rahul Gandhi insulted Prime Minister Narendra Modi's mother during the 'Chhatron Ki Goonj' youth outreach program in Indore, Tiwari termed the claims completely baseless and irresponsible.
"Pralhad Joshi often makes illogical and baseless remarks without understanding the subject or the language. Where did the mention of the Prime Minister's mother come from? I have reviewed Rahul Gandhi's address two to three times—there is not even a single mention of anyone's mother," Tiwari asserted.
"Holding a ministerial portfolio demands responsibility. One should not speak like an uneducated person. Even if you make an allegation, it should carry at least some semblance of truth. Rahul Gandhi never made any such reference," he stated.
Tiwari also raised grave concerns over reports of voter deletions during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) in Delhi, specifically pointing to the deletion of former Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and his family members from the rolls.
"This revision list prepared under the name of SIR is completely compromised. The strategy seems to be simple: delete the names of political opponents and any voters from whom the BJP fears it will not receive support. The BJP is so terrified that it cannot win an election honestly," Tiwari alleged.
He added, "When the names of a former Chief Minister, his wife—who herself served as a senior Income Tax officer—and his mother are removed, it clearly proves that something is fundamentally flawed and manipulated in the SIR process."
Commenting on the overwhelming turnout of students and youth at the Congress party's 'Chhatron Ki Goonj' event in Indore, Tiwari said the mounting enthusiasm among the youth signals the end of the BJP's regime.
"In every subsequent 'Chhatron Ki Goonj' event, the youth are breaking their previous attendance records. What we witnessed in Indore was not just numbers, but an ocean of enthusiasm and passion. This is an alarm bell for the BJP. The youth of the country are ready, under the leadership of Rahul Gandhi, to bring an end to the BJP's misrule," Tiwari concluded. (ANI)
"BJP a dying lamp, lacks courage to fight elections fairly": Congress' Pramod Tiwari slams ruling party over Bengal candidate arrest, Delhi voter roll row
