Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) national spokesperson and Rajya Sabha MP Sudhanshu Trivedi on Sunday, 11 October accused Congress leader and Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi of spreading falsehoods about the Centre attacking Tamil language and culture, and of fomenting north-south divisions while undermining the country's electoral process. The sharp rebuttal came at a press briefing in New Delhi, coinciding with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Tamil Nadu.

BJP's Defence of Tamil Cultural Record

Trivedi cited several central government initiatives as evidence of the BJP's commitment to Tamil heritage. He highlighted the launch of the Kashi Tamil Sangamam festival as a symbol of national unity between the Hindi heartland and the Tamil south. He also noted that PM Modi had recently gifted Russian President Vladimir Putin a Russian-language edition of the ancient Tamil classic Thirukural, authored by Saint Thiruvalluvar, during a bilateral meeting. Additionally, the Centre's decision to establish a defence corridor in Tamil Nadu was cited as evidence of its commitment to the state's industrial growth.

'Rahul Gandhi promotes divisibility, but our government focuses on promoting unity,' Trivedi said, pushing back against the Congress leader's recent speeches.

Gandhi's Allegations That Triggered the Response

The BJP's counteroffensive followed remarks Gandhi made at earlier rallies and at a Chhatron ki Goonj event in Chennai — held on the eve of PM Modi's Tamil Nadu visit — where the Congress leader alleged that the Centre was treating Tamil identity as secondary. Gandhi had claimed the Union government was systematically undermining the state's language, culture, and history, charges the BJP categorically rejected as fabricated and politically motivated.

Attack on Electoral Integrity Remarks

Trivedi took aim at Gandhi over his vocal opposition to the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls — a process initiated by the Election Commission of India (ECI) to cleanse voter lists of suspected ineligible entries. He alleged that Gandhi was batting for foreign forces inimical to India's economic interests by opposing the purification drive.

Trivedi referenced a 2024 statement attributed to US President Donald Trump, in which Trump reportedly said that USAID had spent crores of rupees to increase voter turnout in India, suggesting a link between that foreign interest and domestic opposition to the ECI exercise. He said that when the Commission began the voter-roll purification in 2025, 'some people in India' began opposing the process — an apparent reference to the Congress and Gandhi.

Trivedi also challenged Gandhi's internal consistency on electoral manipulation. 'Rahul Gandhi first said the EVMs are managed. Now, he says the electoral rolls are manipulated. I want to ask him if EVMs were indeed managed, then where is there a need to manipulate the voters' list. Both of his claims can't be true at the same time,' Trivedi said.

Emergency Comparison Draws Rebuke

A separate line of attack focused on Gandhi's reported comparison of security curbs imposed during a recent protest against the SIR in Delhi — which Trivedi described as an illegal demonstration — to the Emergency imposed in 1975. Trivedi called the analogy deeply offensive to those who suffered under that period.

'How can curbs over a one km area be compared with the Emergency? During the Emergency, fundamental rights were suspended, and Opposition leaders were put in jail without any hearing,' he said. Trivedi reminded audiences that Parliament's five-year term was extended by one year during the Emergency to bypass elections, and that the Defence of India Rules had empowered imprisonment without bail or hearing for anyone who criticised the government.

'Today, the people are commenting and using foul language against the government and the Prime Minister and still not facing any Emergency-type consequences,' he added. He accused Gandhi of harbouring the 'dangerous ambition' of turning 'democracy into mobocracy.'

Political Context and What's Next

The BJP's full-frontal response reflects a broader battle over the Tamil Nadu political narrative ahead of the state's electoral cycle. Gandhi's recent southern outreach — including multiple Tamil Nadu stops — is widely seen as part of Congress's effort to project a national Opposition identity anchored in regional grievances. The BJP's counter-messaging, centring on cultural respect and institutional integrity, signals that it intends to contest that framing directly. Expect the exchange to intensify as PM Modi's Tamil Nadu visit generates further political theatre over the coming days.