BJP hits out at Rahul Gandhi over dharna outside police station

New Delhi: BJP on Friday accused Congress leader Rahul Gandhi of indulging in "cheap and anarchic" politics by staging a dharna outside the Parliament Street police station, alleging that it was an attempt to divert attention from his party's stand on the Vande Mataram issue.

Union health minister JP Nadda said Gandhi's dharna was neither for students nor for justice but reflected Congress' "political frustration" and his "hunger for footage". "Today, the entire nation has once again witnessed Rahul Gandhi's cheap and attention-diverting politics, which he displayed outside the Parliament Street police station. Rahul Gandhi's protest is neither for students nor for justice; it is a symbol of Congress party's political frustration and Rahul Gandhi's hunger for footage," Nadda told reporters here.

"To hide Congress' anti-national face and divert attention from embarrassment, Rahul Gandhi hastily staged this drama," he said.


Anarchic politics: Prasad

Senior BJP leader Ravi Shankar Prasad also accused Gandhi of indulging in "anarchic politics". Addressing a press conference here, Prasad claimed that Gandhi's protest was an attempt to divert attention after Congress realised that its stand on the Vande Mataram issue was wrong. "Congress is trapped over its stand on Vande Mataram and is trying to divert attention," he told reporters. Prasad said Gandhi staged the dharna without permission or prior information and questioned Congress' decision to protest when an investigation into the matter was already underway.