11 August,2026 05:00 PM IST | New Delhi | mid-day online correspondent
BJP leader Sudhanshu Trivedi. Pic/ IANS
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Tuesday launched a scathing attack on Leader of Opposition (LoP) in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi and the Congress amid the ongoing Parliament standoff, accusing them of disrupting House proceedings and using student protests for political gains, reported the IANS.
In a pointed attack on Rahul Gandhi, the BJP claimed that his alleged arrogance was a key reason behind the Parliament logjam.
Addressing a press conference at the BJP headquarters, Sudhanshu Trivedi said the makers of the Constitution would never have imagined that the temple of democracy would become "hostage" to the whims, fancies and arrogant attitude of any "Shehzada", a pointed reference to Rahul Gandhi, reported IANS.
"Bhaago mat, daro mat, aur kaan kholkar... Grih Mantri ka jawaab suno," the BJP MP said in Hindi, roughly translating to, "Don't run, don't be frightened, and listen to the Home Minister's reply with open ears."
Blaming Rahul Gandhi and the Congress for the Parliament washout, Trivedi said the Opposition's behaviour over the past few days clearly exhibited its disruption tactics and an alleged attempt to derail House proceedings.
He said the government was quick to address the issues raised by the Opposition, but alleged that the Opposition did not keep its word.
"They (Opposition) have been consistently changing the goalposts. First, they demanded stern action against the paper leak mafia and strict regulations to address flaws in the NEET examinations. A new bill was approved by the Cabinet and passed by Parliament, the Education Minister stepped down from his post, and the cases against unruly elements during the Jantar Mantar demonstration were also withdrawn," the BJP national spokesperson said, the news agency reported.
Trivedi said the government had also agreed to the Opposition's demand for a reply from the Home Minister, but alleged that the Congress had decided to run away from a debate.
"They insisted on Home Minister Amit Shah's statement on the Delhi Police crackdown. The government and Home Minister are ready to give a reply in the House, but the Congress party is bent on disrupting the House by not allowing it to function," the BJP MP said, accusing the Congress of holding the House to ransom.
Claiming that the Congress has a history of "running away", Trivedi said that whenever the government prepares to respond to an issue, the Opposition allegedly develops "cold feet" and walks out of the House.
He cited previous instances, including the Prime Minister's reply on the Manipur crisis.
"You must not be frightened; you must not run away from debate. You are neither going to Ranchi, nor are you listening to the debate that you are demanding," he said, reported IANS.
Taking another swipe at "Chhatron Ki Goonj", a Congress event aimed at mobilising students' anger over paper leaks, Trivedi said the pain and concerns of protesting students were not audible to Rahul Gandhi and the Congress due to their alleged duplicity.
"The Congress party is least worried about the causes and interests of students and is rather milking the issue for political point-scoring, and their leader (Rahul Gandhi) is leaving no opportunity to hold the House to ransom," he said.
"When Parliament session is underway, he runs away from the House, and after the session is over, he heads on jaunts at foreign locations," Trivedi said in a sharp attack on Rahul Gandhi.
(With IANS inputs)
