Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Anurag Thakur on Monday criticised Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi over the INDIA bloc's march to the Supreme Court, calling him a "hawa-hawai" leader and accusing him of making baseless allegations and creating unnecessary disruption.
Addressing a press conference in New Delhi, the former Union Minister alleged that Gandhi repeatedly targeted constitutional institutions and blamed the Election Commission and the government following electoral defeats.
"Rahul Gandhi is the Leader of Opposition, but he doesn't know the real facts. His nature is to create unnecessary ruckus in the nation. Rahul Gandhi is a 'hawa-hawai' leader—everything is zero, just empty talk," Thakur said.
Taking a swipe at the Congress party's electoral performance, he added, "After losing 99 elections, it has become his habit to blame the Election Commission and the government. Now he is even using street-level language."
Thakur further alleged that Gandhi had a history of making accusations against institutions and subsequently apologising in court.
"He repeatedly levels allegations only to later apologise in court; that is his track record. The dust was on his own face, yet he kept wiping the mirror—right up until losing 99 elections. Every season, Rahul Gandhi looks for someone to blame or a scapegoat to target, sometimes the Election Commission, sometimes EVMs, sometimes the Chief Election Commissioner, and sometimes something else. And now, the situation has reached a point where Rahul Gandhi resorts to street-level language and levels baseless allegations...," Thakur added.
The BJP leader's remarks came amid heightened political tensions in the national capital, where INDIA bloc parties staged a march towards the Supreme Court over alleged irregularities in the electoral process and demanded action against Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar.
Led by Gandhi, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, the 'March for Democracy' brought parts of central Delhi, including Barakhamba Road and Mandi House, to a standstill. Protesters carried national flags, displayed placards and raised slogans over alleged irregularities in the Election Commission's Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
During the march, Karnataka Minister Priyank Kharge questioned the functioning of the Election Commission and sought clarification over the use of forms related to voter registration.
"We are asking very valid questions. Who authorised Form 6? Whose bulk-printed, pre-printed Form 7?... Where is Gyanesh Kumar hiding? When a constitutional body head is missing, we need to ask questions," he told ANI.
Punjab Congress president Pargat Singh accused the BJP of undermining democratic institutions and attempting to shield the CEC from scrutiny.
"Look at the BJP's politics—what is it? It is about dismantling the entire democratic framework. They have already wreaked havoc on it. Two Election Commissioners had already conveyed that 14 decisions were taken without their consent and that the amendment to 'Form 6' was executed in a completely flawed manner—a fact the Supreme Court also clarified by stating there was no directive from them to do so. Yet, despite this, they want to protect Gyanesh Kumar and completely destroy the country's democracy. What does Rahul Gandhi say? He says we must save our institutions and the country's democratic structure. But the tragedy is that they have no intention of moving in that direction," he told ANI.
The INDIA bloc delegation also included former West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, former Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav, former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav, and leaders of the Communist Party of India (CPI) and the Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPM).