BJP slams Rahul Gandhi’s remarks on ‘political resistance’

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Thursday (October 15, 2026) questioned the remarks on “political resistance” by the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, and accused him of promoting anarchy under the guise of democratic protest.

At a press briefing, BJP spokesperson Pradeep Bhandari referred to a purported statement by Neha of the All India Students’ Association, which he described as advocating a “Bangladesh-style Gen Z movement in India”, and sought clarification from Mr. Gandhi in that regard.

The Congress leader had repeatedly been using the term “political resistance” over the past few days, Mr. Bhandari said, but his “intention is not democratic protest, but to undermine India’s democracy through anarchy”.

During the October 12 march, the AISA leader was projected as one of its prominent faces, he said. “This indicates that her views are aligned with those of Rahul Gandhi,” alleged the BJP leader, adding that, in Bangladesh, extremist groups had attempted to destabilise the system through mob action and disorder with the objective of regime change.

Mr. Gandhi and his allies were now engaged in a similar effort because they had been unable to bring their family back to power through democratic means, Mr. Bhandari claimed. He alleged that the Congress leader’s objective was neither “political resistance” nor democratic dissent, but the “legitimisation of anarchy”.

“Rahul Gandhi and his ecosystem are attempting to create distrust among the people towards democracy, democratically elected governments, and constitutional institutions through the spread of false narratives. Voter turnout in several recent elections exceeded 80%, which reflects the public’s faith in democratic processes,” he said.

“Whether elections were conducted through ballot papers or Electronic Voting Machines, whether in the Tripura and Assam by-elections, the Delhi University Students Union polls, or youth elections in Chandigarh, young voters have rejected and resisted Rahul Gandhi’s politics of anarchy,” Mr. Bhandari said.

“If Rahul Gandhi and his associates devoted the same energy to public service as they do to promoting agitation and disorder, the Congress party might have gained greater public support,” he said, adding: “The people’s mandate is determined by voting in elections, not by mobilising crowds on the streets.”