BJP slams 'PM is compromised' jibe, calls Gandhis 'compromised' family

BJP hit back at Congress' 'PM is compromised' jibe, with Union Minister Piyush Goyal calling the Gandhi family 'compromised' and Rahul Gandhi a 'puppet of foreign powers'. The spat follows a shirtless protest by the Indian Youth Congress.

BJP Calls Gandhi Family 'Compromised', Rahul a 'Puppet'

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Wednesday launched a scathing attack against Congress' "PM is compromised" remarks, alleging the Gandhi family to be "compromised" instead. Union Ministers and the BJP leaders dug into history and called Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, "a puppet of foreign powers, anti-India forces, anti-India organisations and anti-India governments".

With the BJP and Congress locking horns over the "shirtless protest" of the Indian Youth Congress during the AI Summit, Union Minister Piyush Goyal alleged that "Rahul Gandhi has become the poster boy of negative politics". "The Gandhi family is a completely compromised political family. Rahul Gandhi and his Congress party are a compromised family, a compromised political party. Rahul Gandhi means compromise. Look at the Congress party's history or its present, whether it's the various tales of corruption, how they compromise public interest and national interest under the influence of foreign powers, there are countless examples before the country and the public of how they completely compromise the country and its bright future, the bright future of its citizens. Rahul Gandhi has become the poster boy of negative politics," he said.

"Rahul Gandhi has, in a way, demonstrated a high-handed approach to politics before the nation and the world. He is nothing but a puppet of foreign powers, anti-India forces, anti-India organisations, and anti-India governments. This is the compromise Rahul Gandhi and the Gandhi family are making today: whether in Parliament, whether outside, whether in a press conference. We have seen his behaviour with the press," Goyal added. The BJP leader alleged that Rahul Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi wielded extra-constitutional powers even during Manmohan Singh's government.

Ministers Dig into History, Allege 'Compromise Mission'

Goyal said India secured victory in the 1971 war with Pakistan, but the gains were given away as India did not take back Pakistan-occupied Kashmir while releasing Prisoners of War. Union Minister Nitin Gadkari also accused Congress of "dilution of opportunities" over border negotiations with India's neighbours, raising doubts over the past government's decisions on Tibet and Kashmir.

In an X post, Gadkari alleged "opaque political funding" of Congress, and "blurred lines between power and privilege." "Across decades, the Congress record raises serious questions. Time and again, strategic opportunities were diluted, whether on global positioning, border negotiations, or post-war leverage. Issues like Tibet, Kashmir, Berubari, and later concessions at negotiation tables cannot simply be brushed aside as isolated decisions. Add to that recurring procurement controversies, opaque political funding concerns, and blurred lines between power and privilege. When national red lines become negotiable, institutions weaken, and public trust erodes. History deserves honest reflection, not selective memory," Gadkari wrote.

Union Minister BL Verma criticised the Congress leadership, claiming the opposition party has started colluding with foreign entities to damage the country's reputation. BJP president Nitin Nabin also accused the Nehru-Gandhi family of pursuing a "compromise mission" that prioritised personal and foreign interests over national welfare, describing Rahul Gandhi as a "puppet of foreign powers".

BJP National Spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla termed Congress as the "Anti-India Naked Congress" and accused the party of promoting abuse and threats against Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Addressing a press conference in the national capital, Poonawalla alleged that the protest by the Indian Youth Congress members at the AI Impact Summit was "shirtless, tasteless, classless and brainless," and claimed it had embarrassed the country on an international platform. "We all know that today, INC no longer stands for Indian National Congress. It has become the CCP - Compromised Congress Party, the ANC - Anti-National Congress, the ACP - Abusive Congress Party... Today, in the true sense, INC has become the 'India-Virodhi Nangi Congress' (Anti-India Naked Congress)," the BJP spokesperson said.

Congress Hits Back, Questions PM's Foreign Visits

In response to the BJP's attacks, Congress raised questions over PM Modi's foreign visits amid his two-day visit to Israel to strengthen the bilateral ties. Hitting back at Piyush Goyal's "Rahul Gandhi is compromised" remarks, senior Congress leader Pawan Khera asked the BJP to answer the questions raised on the current government rather than raising doubts on the previous administrations.

Speaking to ANI, Khera said, "Is Rahul Gandhi the Prime Minister? At whose behest does the Prime Minister go abroad? Under whose pressure did he agree to the trade deal? Who is in the government? If people were upset with us, that is between them (the public) and us. Now, you should be answering the questions after being in power for 12 years. What is your connection to Epstein? Why are you scared?"

PM Modi arrived in Tel Aviv, Israel, for his two-day state visit at the invitation of his Israeli counterpart, Benjamin Netanyahu, aimed at further deepening the "robust and multifaceted Strategic Partnership" between the two countries. He also addressed the Israeli Parliament, the Knesset, in Jerusalem. Ahead of his visit, Congress MP Jairam Ramesh strongly criticised the Prime Minister, stating that PM Modi will be displaying "moral cowardice" at a time when the whole world is critical of his "dear friend", referring to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

In a post on X, Ramesh highlighted steps taken by earlier Indian governments in support of Palestine. The Congress leader pointed out that on May 20, 1960, Jawaharlal Nehru was in Gaza and met with the Indian contingent of the UN Emergency Force there, adding that India issued a commemorative postage stamp in solidarity with Palestine on November 29, 1981 and formally recognised the state of Palestine on November 18, 1988. "That was a different era. Now the Indian Prime Minister is brazenly embracing the Prime Minister of Israel, who has reduced Gaza to rubble and dust and who is orchestrating the expansion of illegal settlements in the occupied West Bank. When the entire world is critical of his 'dear friend' Netanyahu, Mr Modi will be displaying moral cowardice," Jairam Ramesh wrote on X.

Legal and Political Fallout from AI Summit Protest

Meanwhile, in the AI summit protest case, Patiala House Court extended the police custody of five accused associated with the Indian Youth Congress for an additional four days. The accused are scheduled to be produced in court on March 1. IYC chief Uday Bhanu Chib also continues to be under custody.

The clash between the Congress and the BJP also turned into a tussle between the governments when three Youth Congress workers detained by Delhi Police from Rohru in Shimla district early Wednesday were brought back to Himachal Pradesh after intervention by the state police. "Himachal Police intervened after receiving information about the detention. Shimla Police has brought back the three youths, who were taken into illegal detention by Delhi Police. They are being produced before a local court as per legal procedure," Himachal Pradesh Police said.

Protests and Ally Support

Jammu Congress members also held a protest in Jammu over Uday Bhanu Chib's arrest. Also, Samajwadi Party President Akhilesh Yadav, who initially said that Congress should have refrained from the 'shirtless' protest at the AI Impact Summit, came in support of its INDIA bloc ally.

Akhilesh sharply criticised the BJP over what he called a "security failure" at the Summit in the national capital. Yadav said that the BJP haven't prepared any ecosystem for Artificial Intelligence (AI) initiatives in the country. Speaking to reporters in Kanpur, Yadav said, "First of all, the way security failures have always happened under the BJP government, and questions were raised on the AI Summit from the very first day. This is entirely a BJP security failure. You haven't prepared any ecosystem or infrastructure for AI. When you show things that are not Indian, naturally, people will get angry." Further supporting the protest, the SP leader asserted, "This is a democratic country, and everyone has the right to protest, but this is a dictatorship." (ANI)

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Asianet Newsable English staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)