NDA government at Centre ‘crippled’; opposition dealt fatal blow to BJP: Rahul Gandhi

WAYANAD/MALAPPURAM: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday said that the BJP-NDA government at the Centre was a “crippled” one as the opposition dealt a fatal blow to the saffron party in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.

Gandhi also said that the people of the country have sent a clear message to the BJP and Narendra Modi and therefore, the prime minister will now have to change his attitude.

“The truth is, what we have today is a crippled government (at the Centre). It has been beaten so badly by the INDIA bloc that it cannot walk straight. It is certainly not a government which is capable of leading the country,” he said at a public meeting at Kalpetta in Wayanad district of the state.

It was his first appearance in the state after winning the Wayanad LS seat by a huge margin for the second consecutive time.

Gandhi further said that the INDIA bloc has “completely destroyed the idea of Narendra Modi.”

“Today, the Narendra Modi you see is completely different from the one you saw before the election,” he said.

He spoke along similar lines at Edavanna in Malappuram district, earlier in the day, where he said, “You will see that the government that has been formed in Delhi is a crippled government. The opposition has dealt a fatal blow to the BJP. You will see that even Narendra Modi’s attitude will have to change.”

He also said that there was “fundamental misunderstanding” on the part of the PM and Union Home Minister Amit Shah.

“They (PM and Shah) thought that just because they have political power, they have ED, CBI and the Income Tax Department, they can dictate to people what is going to happen,” Rahul said, adding that “the people of Kerala, Uttar Pradesh and all other states showed the PM that you cannot dictate to us what we want. The people of India told them that the Constitution is our voice. Do not touch the Constitution.”

He further said that the truth was that the PM barely escaped defeat in Varanasi and the BJP was defeated in Ayodhya.

“So, even the people of Ayodhya sent a message to the BJP that we do not appreciate hatred and violence,” the Congress leader said at Edavanna.

Later, at Kalpetta, Gandhi said that during the entire LS poll campaign period, the media, ED, CBI and the entire Central administration were against the INDIA bloc.

“The Election Commission designed the election to suit the PM’s needs. The plan was a big drama where, at the end, the PM’s election will be held in Varanasi.

“The PM also violated the model code of conduct by meditating at Kanyakumari towards the end of the elections when all other candidates were forbidden from campaigning. But, he had the full media coverage. After all this, he barely escaped (defeat) in Varanasi,” he said.

At Kalpetta and Edavanna, Gandhi said that the fight in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls was for protecting the Constitution of India and in that fight, hatred has been defeated by love and affection and arrogance by humility.

Gandhi, during his speech at both places, held up a copy of the Constitution and claimed that the BJP leaders, prior to the elections, would say that they will change and replace it. But immediately after the LS polls results, Prime Minister Modi was seen bowing before the Constitution, he said.

He also alleged that in the last 10 years, the BJP has been attacking the Constitution.

Pointing to the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, Rahul said that on one side, there were millions of Indians who wanted to preserve their different traditions, languages, cultures and histories, and added that they will define their future. On the other side were the PM and Shah, who said they will decide what languages should be spoken and what traditions should be followed.

“The single biggest message that the people of India gave was that we have multiple traditions, states, religions and histories, and every single one of them was going to be respected,” Gandhi said.