The BJP has found a new weapon to target Rahul Gandhi and his “vote chori” campaign: that the choice of date for the next big protest will hurt Sikh sentiments.
The INDIA bloc has scheduled a rally against alleged vote theft at Delhi’s Ramlila Maidan on November 1. The BJP on Saturday underlined that the date was the anniversary of the 1984 anti-Sikh pogrom.
“Rahul Gandhi, in a calculated manner, is attempting to rub salt into the wounds of the Sikh community by insisting on holding his rally on November 1,” BJP spokesperson and former Union law minister Ravi Shankar Prasad told a news conference.
He also referred to an appeal that a traders’ body has made to Rahul to postpone the rally so that it did not harm Diwali business.
The BJP attack comes ahead of the Punjab Assembly elections, due early next year, where the Congress is seen as the principal challenger to the ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP).
“Why November 1, Mr Rahul Gandhi? What is the reason behind your stubborn resolve to hold the rally specifically on this date? What message are you trying to convey?” Prasad said.
November 1 and 2 in 1984 witnessed some of the worst anti-Sikh violence in Delhi following the assassination of Prime Minister Indira Gandhi by her Sikh bodyguards on October 31. Several Congress leaders of the time were accused of inciting attacks on Sikhs.
The BJP is planning a counter-protest to reinforce its charge that the Opposition is hurting Sikh sentiments.
The INDIA bloc’s rally is aimed at sustaining the pressure on the Narendra Modi government over the accusations of “vote chori” and the demand for chief election commissioner Gyanesh Kumar’s resignation.
Led by Rahul, the Opposition has held a series of protests in October, including a march to the Supreme Court. It intends to keep up the heat ahead of Parliament’s winter session, scheduled to begin in the second half of November.
Prasad claimed that several INDIA bloc partners were unhappy with the November 1 date and wanted the rally postponed.
“Rahul Gandhi’s insistence on the date shows that he refuses to listen to anyone. He will go ahead even if it means mocking the sentiments of the Sikh community,” Prasad said.
Prasad accused Rahul of furthering the agenda of Western forces keen on destabilising India by creating chaos and projecting an absence of democracy in the country.
Earlier on Saturday, the Chamber of Trade and Industry wrote to Rahul urging a postponement of the rally until after November 10. It said the protest might disrupt business worth ₹10,000 crore during the peak Diwali season. Diwali falls on November 8 this year.
“Twenty major wholesale and retail markets are located within a five-kilometre radius of Ramlila Maidan. These commercial hubs supply goods not only across Delhi but also to other parts of the country,” CTI chairperson Brijesh Goyal wrote to Rahul.
He warned that road closures, possible restrictions at Metro stations and traffic diversions for security reasons could bring business at these markets to a standstill for three to four days. The traders, he added, are already under pressure because of the series of protests held in October.
Prasad cited the traders’ appeal to accuse Rahul of being obstinate and indifferent to the concerns of business and ordinary citizens.
“Rahul Gandhiji, you have an aversion to the BJP and to Modiji. But do you also have an aversion to the common people of the country and the traders?” Prasad said.
“You are not even willing to listen to them. This is your stubbornness, and we condemn it.”
