The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Monday (October 12, 2026) slammed Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi for describing the Opposition’s protest march in Delhi as “Shiv Ki Baraat” (Lord Shiva’s wedding procession). The BJP also accused him of harbouring anti-Hindu sentiments and alleged that the Congress-led agitation was aimed at creating anarchy.
“The top leadership of the Congress is completely directionless. Just a moment ago, they were saying that the Congress is like ‘Shivji Ki Baraat’. Those who oppose Lord Rama are now talking about ‘Shivji Ki Baraat’? Union Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said at a press conference. He described the protesters as troublemakers attempting to spread chaos on the streets.
Claiming that Mr. Gandhi had “nothing to do with India’s values, traditions, and beliefs”, he said, “The Congress leader has not even the right to invoke Lord Shiva’s name.” He also alleged that the principal Opposition party and its allies had become puppets in the hands of foreign powers.
Former Union Minister and BJP leader Anurag Thakur, at a separate press briefing, said: “Wherever Rahul Gandhi and his party find an opportunity, whether in Parliament or on the streets, they make remarks about Sanatan Dharma, insult it, or invoke it for their own political objectives. That is what they do: ‘Ali, Ali at night; Bajrang Bali during the day.’”
BJP spokesperson Pradeep Bhandari, in a post on X, described Mr. Gandhi as a “Chunavi Hindu" (election-time Hindu) and accused him of comparing himself to Lord Shiva. “Shame on Rahul Gandhi! He compares his protest to ‘Shivji Ki Baraat’. This not only exposes his anti-Hindu hate; this also tells you that this man, who is a ‘Chunavi Hindu’ (election-time Hindu), is comparing himself to ‘Bhagwan Shiv’! A political protest, an anarchic protest, has to be what it is, Mr. Gandhi!,”
Earlier, Mr. Chouhan had blamed the Congress’s electoral setbacks on what he called its “visionless” leadership, rather than the Election Commission of India (ECI). He said the party’s leadership “did not understand the country, its people, their values or traditions”
He also said the party had been reduced to a “junior partner” in Tamil Nadu, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand, and Jammu & Kashmir. The Union Minister cited several States where the Congress had been out of power for decades, including Tamil Nadu (59 years), West Bengal (49), Uttar Pradesh (37), Bihar (36), Tripura (33), Gujarat (31), Odisha (26), Nagaland (23), Goa (14) and Delhi (13).
“For the past several years, the Congress has continuously been attacking constitutional institutions and blaming them for its electoral defeats. Losing one election after another and venting its frustration by staging protests on the streets has become its destiny,” he said.
“What is the condition of the Congress today? There is infighting in Uttar Pradesh. In Punjab, the State party president had to be changed,” Mr. Chouhan said, also alleging internal conflicts within the Congress units in Karnataka and Telangana.
“They talk about the Constitution? More than 90 times, they dismissed elected governments (during Congress rule). They changed Chief Ministers as though they were changing clothes. The Congress strangled democracy by imposing the Emergency,” he said.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on the other hand, enjoyed overwhelming public support, the Union Minister said, adding that citizens wholeheartedly backed his efforts to realise the goal of “Viksit Bharat”.
“India’s progress has become impossible for the Congress to digest, and it is now joining hands with forces that seek to break the country apart. In January 2025, when its new headquarters was inaugurated, Rahul ji said in his speech that his fight was not just against the BJP but that he was fighting against the Indian State,” said Mr. Chouhan.
“But no matter how much the Congress tries to create chaos on the streets, it will not succeed. It has already fallen in the eyes of the people. Eventually, it will be wiped out completely,” he added.