Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Wednesday launched a scathing attack on Rahul Gandhi, accusing him of aligning with radical ideologies and being influenced by anarchist forces. He said Rahul Gandhi was currounded by Urban naxals and claimed he is less of a Congressman now. Fadnavis made these remarks referring to the red covered Constitution Rahul Gandhi carries during rallies, for which Assam CM Himanta Biswa criticised him ahead of the Lok Sabha polls.
The Assam CM had stoked a controversy in May this year after he claimed that the Constitution carried by Rahul Gandhi was not Indian and that it needed to be verified whether what he carried was a Chinese Constitution, stressing that Indian Constitution has a blue cover.
Now, Fadnavis’ remarks have sparked a fresh row, as he called Gandhi a leader who holds the “Constitution in one hand, while supporting anarchy with the other”.
Fadnavis added to the previous allegations made by Biswa and criticised Rahul Gandhi over the use of a red-covered copy of the Constitution, which he claimed signifies chaos and disorder. The Indian Constitution is traditionally associated with a blue cover, and the BJP leader argued that Gandhi’s choice of red aligns more with Left-extremist ideologies than with democratic values, Times of India reported.
“Rahul holds the Constitution in one hand and promotes anarchy through his deeds,” Fadnavis said, claiming that Gandhi’s choice is not merely a design change but depicts his ideological shift. He claimed Gandhi is increasingly being influenced by “Urban Naxals” and “anarchists” who are allegedly steering the Congress towards radical agendas, Fadnavis said.
The Maharashtra Deputy CM further slammed Rahul Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Yatra, claiming that a campaign that was perceived as a movement for unity in the beginning gradually witnessed the participation of “groups with anti-national views”.
“When Bharat Jodo was kick-started, we thought it was a good theme — at least Bharat is on their agenda,” he said.
According to Fadnavis, more than 180 such groups participated in the Bharat Jodo Nyay yatra, leading to doubts over its purpose and intent. He argued that these affiliations ultimately overshadowed Rahul Gandhi’s message of unity and instead presented him as a leader whose actions and associations seem more divisive than cohesive, the report said.
On media being barred from Gandhi’s ‘Constitution Honour Convention’ event dedicated to honouring the Constitution in Nagpur, Fadnvais said: “They talk of saving democracy, but they keep the fourth pillar of democracy, the media, out of the meeting on the Constitution”.
He also highlighted that this action showed a “slipping mask” in Gandhi’s democratic rhetoric and called Congress’ commitment to democracy shallow, criticising the party for limiting transparency rather than promoting it.
