Maharashtra Assembly Elections 2024 | Rahul Gandhi surrounded by urban naxals, says Devendra Fadnavis, sparks political row

The attack from Fadnavis came at a time when Gandhi was in Maharashtra to launch the Congress and Maha Vikas Aghadi (I.N.D.I.A.) opposition bloc's campaign ahead of the polls.

Mumbai: In what sparked off a political row in poll-bound Maharashtra, Deputy Chief Minister and BJP’s troubleshooter Devendra Fadnavis accused Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi of being surrounded by urban Naxals and anarchist forces leading severe attacks from the opposition Congress. He also questioned the logic behind the Congress leader displaying the red-coloured pocket Constitution.

“Rahul Gandhi is surrounded by urban Naxals and anarchist forces and has transformed into an ultra-Left ideologue and is less of a Congressman. The copy of the Constitution he flaunts has a red cover, not the traditional blue,” Fadnavis said.

“I would like to ask Gandhi why he is showing a red-coloured Constitution of India and what sort of message he wants to give,” Fadnavis, the state Home Minister, said in Kolhapur hours after the BJP-led Maha Yuti launched its joint poll campaign.

The attack came at a time when Gandhi was in Nagpur and Mumbai to launch the Maha Vikas Aghadi’s poll campaign.

“Rahul Gandhi is forging an alliance, it is dangerous for the state and the country… An initiative called 'Bharat Jodo' was started. Looking at the name, we thought it is a good initiative, but it has come out that of the 150 to 200 organisations associated with Bharat Jodo, 100 outfits are instrumental in creating anarchy in the country. These outfits are ultra-leftist, anarchist, and if their track record is checked, (it is seen that) they are working to create a malaise in society,” claimed Fadnavis.

"Red is a beautiful colour… in puja and marriages it could be seen… its auspicious,” state Congress President Nana Patole said.

"If BJP says his (Rahul Gandhi’s) programme is a 'nautanki', it means BJP is scared of him. To call such a programme as 'urban Naxal' is an insult to the social organisations… If you insult the social organisations, then they will take revenge in the elections,” Leader of the Opposition in the Assembly Vijay Wadettiwar said.

While addressing Samvidhan Samman Sammelan in Nagpur after paying tributes to Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar, Gandhi said: “The Constitution drafted by Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar is not just a book but a way of life…When people from the RSS and BJP attack the Constitution, they are attacking the voice of the country… there are silent attacks on the Constitution.”

“The RSS and the BJP cannot attack the Constitution from the front. So they hide behind ‘vikas’ , ‘pragati’, ‘unity’ to carry on their agenda of inequality that ensures benefits only to a few individuals at the cost of the vast majority of people,” Gandhi said in Nagpur, which houses the RSS headquarters.

Later in a post on X, the Maharashtra BJP unit said: “Constitution is just an excuse… Red Book has to be promoted… In the name of love… only hatred has to be spread.”

The BJP also attached a video - purportedly from the Nagpur event - shown that the red-coloured pocket Constitution has blank pages.

Assembly Elections 2024 | The Maharashtra Assembly polls will take place against the backdrop of a fractured political landscape in the western state where the Shiv Sena and NCP will be going up against the Uddhav Thackeray and Sharad Pawar factions, even as the BJP and Congress try to make their mark. Meanwhile, in Jharkhand, the JMM faces a new challenge after Hemant Soren's recent arrest and Champai, a longstanding party member, joining the BJP. The Haryana election resulted in a shock loss for Congress, which was looking to galvanize on the Lok Sabha poll performance, while J&K also saw the grand old party eventually stepping away from the cabinet, with Omar Abdullah's JKNC forming government. It remains to be seen if the upcoming polls help BJP cement its position further or provide a fillip to I.N.D.I.A. Check live updates and track the latest coverage, live news, in-depth opinions, and analyses only on Deccan Herald.

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