“It is becoming increasingly evident that there is a lack of unity among Opposition parties. They lack organisational strength and the necessary organisational capabilities. Perhaps this is why they had to defer their mock Parliament, which could not be held today,” BJP MP Sambit Patra said at a press conference.
Patra’s claim on lack of opposition unity came as he cited the reported tussle between the Congress and the Samajwadi Party (SP) over seat sharing ahead of the Uttar Pradesh Assembly polls.
Earlier in the day, Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi announced that the “public impeachment” event has been postponed for tomorrow at Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge’s official residence, due to adverse weather in Delhi.
However, Patra claimed: “It is clear that they are unable to put together the kind of organisation and arrangements required for such an event.”
He also refuted Rahul Gandhi’s allegations that Union Home Minister Amit Shah was “attempting to stop people” from coming into Delhi to attend the protest rally at Ramlila Maidan.
“Rahul Gandhi has made a false allegation today. He claimed that the Home Minister and the government were stopping people coming from outside from reaching Ramlila Maidan. Today, people can even record such incidents on their mobile phones. If they had any evidence of people being stopped, roads being blocked, or visitors being prevented from reaching the venue, wouldn’t they have shown those videos today?” Patra said.
“The fact is that they have been unable to make the necessary arrangements as they had envisioned. They are now making false allegations that people are being prevented from coming. No one is being stopped from reaching the venue,” he stated.
Moreover, the BJP leader challenged the LoP to produce evidence regarding his allegation, while asking him not to create an “atmosphere of lies and confusion” in the country.
Further, referring to the Samajwadi Party leaders’ assurance that they will attend the rally along with party chief Akhilesh Yadav, he said: “All of them are dynastic parties and feel that India is their property…In the last 12 years, whenever there have been Uttar Pradesh elections or Lok Sabha elections, these leaders have held each other’s hands and done drama.”
Taking a jibe, Patra said: “They hold each other’s hands as if they are global leaders who are going to hold discussions on ‘Nuclear Power’ at the United Nations…as if they are going to change the world order henceforth.”
“Nothing is going to come out of it. We had seen such pictures in 2013, before 2019 elections, and also before 2024 elections. We have also seen the photos before UP elections. All these dynasty parties hold each other’s hands but don’t have anything for each other in their hearts,” he remarked.
Referring to Congress-SP’s seat-sharing deliberations ahead of the UP Assembly polls, Patra said: “They hold hands but fight over seat sharing. They will definitely fight over seat sharing (for UP elections), and then there will ultimately be a friendly match. They will all contest the elections under the guise of a friendly match.”
Meanwhile, Patra also questioned the Samajwadi Party’s allegations of foul play in UP MLC polls, citing that the party is celebrating victory in five of the eleven seats in the recently held elections.
“If there was foul play, why are you celebrating victory in five seats? Instead, you should be filing a complaint,” he said.
The BJP MP added: “First, Samajwadi Party members should hold a meeting and decide whether irregularities have taken place or whether they have won. If they decide that they have won, then they can celebrate, but if they believe that polling irregularities have taken place, then they should reveal it to the public.”
Patra further accused Rahul Gandhi and other opposition leaders of attempting to bring in a “forced regime change”, “since they know that they cannot win elections in the correct way”, by holding a “mock Parliament” and rally at Ramlila Maidan, despite the SIR-related case being currently heard by the Supreme Court.
–IANS
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