Union Minister and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Giriraj Singh on Friday launched a sharp attack on Congress leader and Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi in Begusarai, Bihar, demanding that the Congress be renamed the "Muslim-Maoist Party", claiming that a majority of its winning candidates in the Assam Assembly polls are Muslims. Singh's remarks represent the latest escalation in the BJP's sustained campaign targeting Congress's electoral strategy.

What Giriraj Singh Said

Speaking to reporters in Begusarai, Singh said: "Since Rahul Gandhi came to power, the Congress party is no longer the same; it has become a Maoist-Muslim Congress." He went further, issuing a direct challenge: "I challenge him to show whether or not 98 per cent of Congress' winning candidates in Assam are Muslim."

Singh reiterated his demand that the party's name be formally changed to "Maoist-Muslim Congress" and accused Gandhi of being an "Urban Naxal" — a politically charged term frequently used by BJP leaders to describe critics they allege have sympathies with Left-wing extremism.

He also alleged that Congress prioritises Muslim interests at the expense of others: "Muslims are everything for them. They abuse people who follow 'Sanatan' and even obstructed the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam."

Singh's Remarks on Owaisi and Congress

Referring to All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) President Asaduddin Owaisi, Singh claimed: "Now Owaisi can abandon his party, it is no longer needed because his party has been replaced with Congress by Rahul Gandhi. The number of Muslim candidates that Congress has is even more than Owaisi's party."

These remarks came a day after Owaisi had objected to the Union Cabinet's decision to grant Vande Mataram the same statutory protection as the national anthem. Owaisi had claimed that Vande Mataram was "an ode to the Goddess and hence cannot be treated at par with the national anthem."

BJP's Defence of Vande Mataram Status

Responding to Owaisi's objection, Giriraj Singh said: "Vande Mataram is a prayer for Bharat Mata and whoever wishes to stay in India will have to worship Bharat Mata." He added, addressing Owaisi directly: "Sharia law would not work in the country."

Separately, BJP IT Cell Chief Amit Malviya posted a detailed rebuttal on social media platform X, arguing that India's civilisational heritage belongs equally to all citizens and that Vande Mataram is an inseparable part of that heritage. Malviya pushed back against Opposition claims that granting the national song statutory protection would promote discord in society.

Political Context

Singh's broadside is part of a pattern of BJP leaders targeting Congress over its candidate selection and voter outreach strategies ahead of upcoming electoral cycles. Congress has not yet issued a formal response to Singh's specific claims about the Assam Assembly poll results. The BJP-Congress rivalry over identity politics and minority representation has intensified in recent months, with both sides trading accusations over communal polarisation. The Vande Mataram controversy adds another flashpoint to an already charged political atmosphere.