BJP Leader’s Controversial Statement Sparks Outrage

Amit Malviya, the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) national IT department incharge, has sparked a controversy by claiming that former Prime Ministers Indira and Rajiv Gandhi were assassinated due to the political decisions they took. Malviya made this statement during a news debate on India Today, while discussing the recent assassination attempt on Republican US presidential candidate Donald Trump.

Malviya’s suggestion is seen as an attempt to shift the blame for the tragic events that befell the Gandhi family. Indira Gandhi was assassinated by her own bodyguards in 1984, and Rajiv Gandhi was killed in a suicide bombing in 1991. The BJP leader alleged that the Leader of the Opposition, Rahul Gandhi, has been encouraging violence against Prime Minister Narendra Modi, citing similar rhetoric to what is being seen in the United States.

However, senior Congress leaders have strongly condemned Malviya’s statement, terming it “atrocious”, “obnoxious”, and “disgraceful”. Jairam Ramesh, a senior Congress leader, wrote on social media platform ‘X’, “What an atrocious, obnoxious and disgraceful statement by this man. If the self-anointed non-biological PM has any shred of decency he should sack this guy right away.”

Pawan Khera, the Chairman of Congress’s media and publicity department, also criticized Malviya’s statement, saying, “According to this BJP motormouth, Mahatma Gandhi, Indira, Rajiv ji, Sardar Beant Singh and the entire Congress leadership of Chhattisgarh deserved to be assassinated for the political decisions they took. Does the @PMOIndia endorse this view of his spokesperson? The only political decision these martyrs took was to live and die for India.”

ThePrint reached out to Malviya for his comment, but he was unavailable. The controversy comes in the wake of an assassination attempt on Trump, who was injured during his election rally in Pennsylvania. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had expressed concern over the attack, saying that violence has no place in politics and democracies.

Malviya’s statement has been widely criticized, with many seeing it as an attempt to justify the assassinations of the Gandhi family members. The controversy highlights the deep divide between the BJP and the Congress, with the latter accusing the former of having an “anti-national mindset”. The incident has also sparked a debate on the role of politics in society and the importance of maintaining peace and harmony.

Key Points:

• Amit Malviya, BJP’s national IT department incharge, claimed that former Prime Ministers Indira and Rajiv Gandhi were assassinated due to their political decisions.
• Senior Congress leaders have condemned Malviya’s statement, terming it “atrocious”, “obnoxious”, and “disgraceful”.
• The controversy comes in the wake of an assassination attempt on Republican US presidential candidate Donald Trump.
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi had expressed concern over the attack, saying that violence has no place in politics and democracies.
• The incident has sparked a debate on the role of politics in society and the importance of maintaining peace and harmony.

Historical Context:

The assassination of Indira Gandhi in 1984 and Rajiv Gandhi in 1991 are significant events in Indian history. Indira Gandhi was assassinated by her own bodyguards on October 31, 1984, while she was addressing a rally in New Delhi. The assassination was a result of a conspiracy involving her Sikh bodyguards, who were seeking revenge for the Indian Army’s actions during Operation Blue Star, a military operation that was conducted to flush out Sikh separatists from the Golden Temple in Amritsar. Rajiv Gandhi was assassinated on May 21, 1991, by a female suicide bomber during an election rally in Sriperumbudur, Tamil Nadu. The assassination was carried out by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), a separatist group fighting for an independent Tamil state in Sri Lanka.

The Gandhi family has been a prominent political family in India, with Jawaharlal Nehru, Indira Gandhi, and Rajiv Gandhi all serving as Prime Ministers. The family has been associated with the Indian National Congress, a major political party in India.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is a right-wing political party that has been in power in India since 2014. The party has been known for its nationalist and Hindu nationalist ideology, which has led to controversy and criticism from opposition parties and civil society groups.

Summary in Bullet Points:

• Amit Malviya, BJP’s national IT department incharge, claimed that former Prime Ministers Indira and Rajiv Gandhi were assassinated due to their political decisions.
• Senior Congress leaders have condemned Malviya’s statement, terming it “atrocious”, “obnoxious”, and “disgraceful”.
• The controversy comes in the wake of an assassination attempt on Republican US presidential candidate Donald Trump.
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi had expressed concern over the attack, saying that violence has no place in politics and democracies.
• The incident has sparked a debate on the role of politics in society and the importance of maintaining peace and harmony.
• Malviya’s statement has been widely criticized, with many seeing it as an attempt to justify the assassinations of the Gandhi family members.
• The controversy highlights the deep divide between the BJP and the Congress, with the latter accusing the former of having an “anti-national mindset”.