BJP–Congress clash intensifies; BJP calls Rahul unprepared, Congress qlleges Shah gave ‘no answers’

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New Delhi: The Saffron party launched a full-scale offensive against Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi after he strongly criticised Home Minister Amit Shah for his remarks on electoral reforms during the debate in the lower house. With senior BJP figures at both the central and state levels rallying behind Amit Shah’s counter-arguments, the political confrontation between the BJP and the Congress has only grown sharper, spilling over both inside and outside Parliament.

Notably, political friction has been mounting ever since Amit Shah’s forceful Lok Sabha intervention, where he accused the Congress of misleading the nation, obstructing democratic processes and manipulating historical narratives for political gain.

On Thursday, BJP MP Nishikant Dubey delivered a fierce critique of Rahul Gandhi, defending Amit Shah’s detailed speech in the Lok Sabha and accusing the Opposition of levelling unfounded allegations without adequate preparation or factual grounding. His comments followed Shah’s comprehensive rebuttal to Rahul Gandhi on issues related to the electoral system and the Congress party’s historical governance record.

While interacting  with  media Dubey asserted that Amit Shah had effectively addressed and dismantled every issue raised by Rahul Gandhi. He claimed, “After India’s partition, on the pyre of the martyrs, the Congress leadership enjoyed power without responsibility, and those from such political families remain unaware of the country, the world, and even basic education.” He reiterated the BJP’s long-running charge that dynastic politics continues to dominate the Congress.

Dubey further alleged that Rahul Gandhi’s speech lacked seriousness, depth and preparation, enabling the Home Minister to easily counter his claims one by one. “Rahul Gandhi came completely unprepared; the three primary points he raised were thoroughly ‘washed’ by the Home Minister in the ‘washing machine’. That is why neither the public nor the nation takes Rahul Gandhi’s statements seriously,” he said.

Union Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal, too, targeted the Opposition, alleging that Rahul Gandhi failed to even listen to the Home Minister’s responses. “There was a discussion on electoral reforms, and the Home Minister presented a detailed reply to the points raised by the Leader of the Opposition. But the Opposition did not even listen to it fully. The Home Minister rightly questioned how individuals who are not citizens of India can find their names on the country’s voter list,” he said.

BJP MP Rekha Sharma contended that the Opposition was avoiding discussion because it feared the facts about states like West Bengal would emerge. “This is the Opposition’s defeat. They wanted a debate on the SIR issue but refused to hear the truth. They fear that revelations about states where outsiders have settled—like West Bengal—will weaken their already fragile governments. The Centre is consistently working on addressing infiltration. Why should those who come from outside use our resources or choose our government? The public will answer them,” she said.

Meanwhile, Rahul Gandhi has continued to defend his position, maintaining that Amit Shah failed to respond directly to any of the questions he raised. The Leader of Opposition continued his criticism of the Home Minister after Shah delivered a scathing attack on the Congress during the Lok Sabha debate on electoral reforms.

Rahul Gandhi remarked that Amit Shah had avoided answering his queries. “Amit Shah ji appeared extremely nervous yesterday. His language was inappropriate, and his hands were shaking. He is under tremendous mental pressure; everyone saw this. He did not respond to a single one of my questions. He provided no evidence. I openly challenged him to discuss all my press conferences inside Parliament, yet he gave no reply,” he alleged.

Congress MP Rajiv Shukla also slammed the BJP, saying, “I fail to understand how long the BJP will continue talking about history. They drag Nehru into everything. I believe they even dream of Nehru and Gandhi. What have you achieved despite being in power for the past 11 years?”

Another Congress MP, Tanuj Punia, echoed the criticisms, stating, “The transparency that should have been present was completely missing. He did not address what happened in Haryana. Instead of answering the real questions, he simply targeted the Congress. We received no explanation for the issues unfolding today.”