BJP says Rahul Gandhi exposed Congress' 'sordid history' with party-theft remark
Synopsis
Rahul Gandhi's 'party theft' broadside against the BJP backfired badly — at least by the ruling party's telling. BJP leaders including Smriti Irani, Sambit Patra, and Ravi Shankar Prasad hit back with a counter-narrative: 70 Congress splits since 1951, a Supreme Court-struck-down Assembly dissolution, and Article 356 misuse. The irony they're pressing? Gandhi's own allies — Mamata Banerjee and Sharad Pawar — walked out of Congress.
Key Takeaways
Rahul Gandhi alleged 'party theft' while backing the Mamata Banerjee -led TMC faction in its party symbol row.
BJP National General Secretary Smriti Irani said Gandhi had exposed Congress' 'sordid history', citing misuse of Article 356 in 1980 to dismiss nine state governments .
The Supreme Court in 2005 declared the Congress-led dissolution of the Bihar Legislative Assembly illegal and unconstitutional, Irani noted.
BJP Spokesperson Pradeep Bhandari claimed Congress has had 70 splits since 1951 , including breakaways led by Mamata Banerjee and Sharad Pawar .
BJP MPs Sambit Patra and Ravi Shankar Prasad both accused Congress of historically breaking parties and toppling governments unconstitutionally.
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders hit back at Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Friday, 18 September, arguing that his allegation of 'party theft' against the BJP had inadvertently exposed the Congress party's own record of breaking regional formations. The BJP's sharp counter came after Gandhi backed the All India Trinamool Congress (TMC) faction led by former West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee in its party symbol dispute.
What Rahul Gandhi Said
Gandhi had framed the party symbol controversy as part of a broader democratic crisis, saying: 'Vote theft... Government theft... Now party theft too... These have become symbols of our democratic decline.' His remarks were widely read as an indictment of the BJP for engineering splits in opposition parties.
BJP's Counter: Congress' Own Track Record
In a self-recorded video, BJP National General Secretary Smriti Irani said Gandhi's remarks had 'exposed the sordid history of Congress' rather than damaged the BJP. She accused the Congress of misusing Article 356 to dismiss nine state governments in 1980, and recalled that the Supreme Court of India had in 2005 declared the Congress-led dissolution of the Bihar Legislative Assembly illegal and unconstitutional. 'Why is it that Rahul Gandhi insists on attacking the Election Commission, which is hailed the world over as the harbinger of democracy?' Irani asked, adding that Gandhi was 'fulfilling someone's agenda' by targeting the poll body.
Patra, Prasad and Bhandari Pile On
BJP MP Sambit Patra accused Gandhi of 'disrespecting' India's judicial system, calling him ignorant of his own party's history. 'The Congress party has broken dozens of parties recorded in the pages of history and has toppled dozens of governments in non-constitutional ways,' Patra said, using the phrase 'Dimagi Naxals' in his remarks. BJP MP Ravi Shankar Prasad, addressing reporters, was equally direct: 'Congress has been expert at breaking parties and toppling governments. Whether it's Trinamool or NCP, due to the actions of the Congress, these parties broke away from it.'
The '70 Splits' Claim
BJP National Spokesperson Pradeep Bhandari went further, claiming that Congress had seen 70 splits — 'big and small' — since 1951. He cited former leaders including Sharad Pawar, Mamata Banerjee, and J. B. Kripalani as examples of figures who left to form their own parties. 'Every regional party was formed because it was fed up with the Congress,' Bhandari asserted, comparing the party to 'Bhasmasur', a demon from Hindu mythology. He argued that Congress's history made it 'a threat to democracy.'
Context and What to Watch
The exchange is the latest salvo in an intensifying war of words over the integrity of India's democratic institutions, party symbols, and the Election Commission. The NCP and TMC symbol rows have handed both the ruling BJP and the opposition ample ammunition, with each side invoking history to frame the other as the aggressor. With the Lok Sabha session ongoing, further escalation in these exchanges is widely expected as the opposition continues to press on electoral and institutional issues.
Point of View
Forced mergers, and the very breakaways (Pawar's NCP, Banerjee's TMC) Gandhi now rallies behind. The real story here, however, is structural: when both sides are trading historical grievances rather than debating the substance of the Election Commission's symbol allocation decisions, accountability for how India's electoral institutions function in the present gets lost entirely.
NationPress
18 Sept 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
What did Rahul Gandhi say about 'party theft'?
Gandhi used the phrase to allege a broader democratic decline, saying 'Vote theft... Government theft... Now party theft too.' He made the remark while backing the Mamata Banerjee-led TMC faction in its ongoing party symbol dispute.
How did the BJP respond to Rahul Gandhi's 'party theft' allegation?
BJP leaders including Smriti Irani, Sambit Patra, and Ravi Shankar Prasad argued that Gandhi had inadvertently exposed Congress' own history of breaking parties and toppling governments. They cited the misuse of Article 356 in 1980 and a Supreme Court ruling in 2005 against Congress's dissolution of the Bihar Assembly.
What is the BJP's claim about Congress splitting parties?
BJP National Spokesperson Pradeep Bhandari claimed that Congress has seen 70 splits — big and small — since 1951, naming Mamata Banerjee, Sharad Pawar, and J. B. Kripalani as leaders who left to form their own parties. He argued this pattern made Congress 'a threat to democracy.'
What was the Bihar Assembly dissolution controversy the BJP referenced?
The BJP's Smriti Irani pointed to the Congress-led dissolution of the Bihar Legislative Assembly in 2005, which the Supreme Court of India subsequently declared illegal and unconstitutional. She cited it as an example of Congress undermining democratic institutions.
Why is the TMC symbol row relevant to this political exchange?
Gandhi's remarks were made in the context of the TMC's internal party symbol dispute, in which a faction led by Mamata Banerjee is contesting the official party symbol. The BJP used the occasion to note that the TMC itself had originally broken away from Congress, undermining Gandhi's positioning as a defender of democratic norms.
