SDPI row: Union Minister Smriti Irani accuses Congress of contesting LS polls with ‘support of terrorists’

Irani also hit out at Congress leader Rahul Gandhi over his remark made at a rally in Delhi recently that if the BJP wins the election through “match-fixing” and changes the Constitution, then the country would be on “fire” and would not survive.

Gandhi on Wednesday filed his Lok Sabha poll nomination from the Wayanad seat in Kerala, which he currently represents.

Also Read: Rahul Gandhi says he treats people of Wayanad like he treats sister Priyanka

Slams Rahul Gandhi

Addressing a rally at Panna in Madhya Pradesh, Irani said, “I heard that some people are filing their nomination papers in Wayanad today. State (Kerala) president of my party (BJP) is contesting elections against him and is saying that now his (Gandhi’s) politics has become so bad that he is seeking help from terrorist organisations.”

Irani was in Panna to accompany state BJP state president VD Sharma in filing his nomination papers from the Khajuraho Lok Sabha seat. Sharma is a sitting BJP MP from that seat renominated by the party.

The Women and Child Development Minister further said these are the same people who opposed the country in Parliament when Article 370 was abrogated from Kashmir.

“These are the people who sought proof when the Indian Air Force went inside Pakistan and attacked the enemy’s camps,” she said.

These people are threatening that if Narendra Modi becomes the prime minister again, then the country will be on fire, Irani added.

“I want to ask Rahul Gandhi to listen with open ears that this country was challenged earlier also by the fair-skinned (Britishers), but it defeated them. This country was challenged by the enemies earlier also and the native people made them bite the dust. If you threaten the country to tarnish democracy and if you provoke, then this country will not spare you,” she said.

Also Read: No ‘Modi wave’ in Karnataka, says DCM and state Congress chief DK Shivakumar

‘BJP has vision for 2047’

Irani said that the Opposition INDIA bloc doesn’t know what to do in 2024, while the BJP has a vision for 2047.

Targeting the Congress, BJP national spokesperson Prem Shukla alleged that Rahul Gandhi who speaks of “opening ‘mohabbat ki dukan’ (shop of love) is repeatedly sending ‘mohabbat ke paigam’ (message of love)’ to terrorism and separatism”.

“On the one hand Congress leader Rahul Gandhi threatens to set the country on fire from Ramlila ground and then he takes electoral support of the SDPI, which supports PFI (Popular Front of India) and terror activities, while visiting Wayanad,” Shukla alleged at a press conference.

Accusing the Congress of contesting elections “with support of terrorists”, the BJP spokesperson asked, “Why do they need to take support of an organisation like SDPI which supports terrorists.”

The BJP’s Kerala unit on Tuesday urged Gandhi to explain his stand over the support offered to the UDF by the SDPI, while Home Minister Amit Shah also hit out at the Congress, saying how can people be safe under the Congress if it has taken the support of the SDPI.

“On the one hand there are explosions in Bengaluru and on the other hand I got information that SDPI has supported the Congress. If it is true, then can the people of Karnataka be safe under the Congress?” Shah said during his election campaign in Ramanagara district, which is part of Bengaluru Rural constituency in Karnataka.

The PFI was banned under the provisions of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) by the Centre in September 2022 over its alleged links with terror activities.

The PFI was formed in 2006 in Kerala. It had its headquarters in Delhi.

(With PTI inputs)