Former Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot on Sunday launched a sharp attack on the BJP, alleging that the party fields candidates in all Lok Sabha seats but does not nominate a single Muslim candidate. He claimed that if former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi were alive today, she might have considered banning a party that practiced such politics.
Gehlot was speaking at the Nawab Dada Qayam Khan Martyrs' Day, Talent Felicitation Ceremony and Qayam Ratna Award 2026 event organised by the Maulana Abul Kalam Azad Welfare Society Rajasthan at the Constitution Club in Jaipur. Rajasthan Congress president Govind Singh Dotasra, Lok Sabha MPs Imran Masood and Rahul Kaswan, and MLAs Rafiq Khan and Amin Kagzi were among those present.
Addressing the gathering, Gehlot said democracy in the country was under threat and described the current situation as extremely serious. He alleged that minorities were facing injustice and oppression, and claimed that bulldozer actions continued in Uttar Pradesh despite court observations. He also said the judiciary appeared to be under pressure.
Questioning the electoral process, Gehlot referred to the removal of names from voter lists in West Bengal and the Rajya Sabha nomination of Congress leader Meenakshi Natarajan from Madhya Pradesh.
Gehlot alleged that the ideology of the RSS and BJP was dangerous and claimed their beliefs were not aligned with the ideals of Mahatma Gandhi, Sardar Patel and Dr B.R. Ambedkar. He urged Congress workers to stand by Dalits, tribals and minorities and support them whenever they faced any form of injustice.
The senior Congress leader said unusual incidents often followed Prime Minister Narendra Modi's foreign visits and remarked that such developments could not be considered normal. He also noted that Rahul Gandhi was continuously engaging with young people and would interact with NEET aspirants in Kota on June 17.
Gehlot said the INDIA bloc needed to be strengthened further and urged parties that had left the Congress to return. He added that people wanted to see a direct political contest between Rahul Gandhi and Narendra Modi and said opposition parties should unite under Rahul Gandhi's leadership.
He also alleged that false corruption charges had been used to tarnish the image of the UPA government led by former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and that similar campaigns had been run against Indira Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi.
Gehlot said all opposition parties must unite against the BJP. Reflecting on his five-decade political career, he said he had never witnessed such an atmosphere before. He warned that if the current situation continued, the future of the country's youth would be affected and history would question what people did during this period.
