Senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader and Rajya Sabha MP Ghanshyam Tiwari launched a sharp counter-attack on 15 June against former Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, after Gehlot ignited a political controversy by claiming that Indira Gandhi would have banned the BJP had she been alive today. Tiwari, addressing a press conference at the BJP state headquarters in Jaipur, called Gehlot's remarks anti-Hindutva and politically motivated.

What Gehlot Said and Why It Sparked a Row

Gehlot had accused the BJP of promoting religious polarisation, asserting that Indira Gandhi would have outlawed the party given its current political conduct. The remarks drew an immediate and forceful response from the BJP in Rajasthan, which labelled the statements divisive and reckless.

Tiwari alleged that Gehlot was speaking less as a Indian National Congress (Congress) leader and more as a spokesperson for the Muslim League — a charge the Congress has not formally responded to.

Tiwari's Counterarguments: History and Alliance Politics

The Rajya Sabha MP cited what he described as a pattern of appeasement politics within the Congress, pointing to the party's alliance with the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) in Kerala. He argued that associating with an organisation he linked to India's Partition contradicted the Congress's stated positions on secularism and national unity.

Tiwari traced what he called the roots of communal politics to the 1916 Lucknow Pact between the Congress and the Muslim League, and the Congress's participation in the Khilafat Movement, alleging these decisions contributed to the eventual Partition of India.

He also invoked the RSS ban of 1948 and the Emergency of 1975, noting that both were ultimately reversed following widespread opposition — implying, critics noted, a warning about attempts to suppress political organisations.

Attack on Congress Leadership and Electoral Record

Tiwari argued that the Congress's support base has been steadily narrowing across India, linking the party's declining electoral performance to what he characterised as vote-bank politics. He said Rahul Gandhi's leadership had coincided with repeated electoral setbacks for the party, adding that the BJP would welcome that trend continuing.

He also criticised the Congress's frequent invocations of the Constitution, urging the party to reckon with its own record — specifically the Emergency and the 42nd Constitutional Amendment, which he described as assaults on democratic institutions.

BJP's Inclusive Governance Claim

Concluding his remarks, Tiwari asserted that the BJP operates on a 'Nation First' principle without discrimination. He cited participation figures under Central government schemes including Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana, Ujjwala Yojana, Mudra Yojana, PM Kisan Samman Nidhi, Skill India, and minority scholarship programmes as evidence of inclusive governance.

BJP state general secretaries Shravan Singh Bagdi and Bhupendra Saini were present at the press conference. Tiwari demanded that Gehlot apologise to Hindus for his remarks.

With assembly-level political temperatures rising in Rajasthan, the exchange signals an intensifying war of words between the two parties ahead of future electoral contests in the state.