BJP terms opposition meet an alliance of 'scared people'

New Delhi: The BJP on Thursday hit out at the Congress and other opposition parties participating in the "Sajha Virasat Bachao" (save composite culture) conference, terming it an alliance of defeated and "scared people". It also asked why they are silent on the killings of RSS-BJP workers in Kerala.

"On behalf of BJP, I ask organisers of the `save composite culture` how they consider the merciless killings of RSS workers by CPI-M goons in Kerala? Is it part of composite culture? Why is Rahul Gandhi silent on these killings?

"Where are the so called intellectuals who returned their awards in the name of intolerance," senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader and Union Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said while addressing a press conference here.

He termed the alliance of opposition parties an alliance of defeated people and said they would lose again.

"This is an alliance of scared people. They are scared of (Prime Minister Narendra) Modiji. This is an alliance of those who are worried over charges of corruption and are facing action.

"This is the real centre of this alliance," Prasad said after Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi launched a stinging attack on the Modi government and the Rashtriya Swyamsevak Sangh (RSS), accusing them of trying to change the Constitution, and urged all opposition parties to fight them unitedly.

Prasad accused Gandhi of heading the Congress undemocratically by creating fear among the Congress party workers.

"Rahul Gandhi has threatened his party workers. He always loses elections but still leads the party. Despite losing continuously, nobody is questioning his leadership because he has threatened his own party people," he said.

The union minister condemned Rahul Gandhi`s remarks that the RSS was placing its men in every institution -- judiciary, media and universities.

"Earlier he (Rahul) used to talk without homework, now he frequently talks something that is baseless," he said.

Prasad condemned Rahul Gandhi`s remarks on judiciary and media, saying he would expect the Congress leader not to make motivated political comments about the two. 

"Judiciary is independent. He does not have any issue. He is worried and in frustration he is dragging judiciary into controversy. Anyway, this was expected from Rahul Gandhi, because his grandmother favoured committed judiciary.

"The political heritage of Rahul Gandhi and the political heritage of Rajiv Gandhi has been very unclear as far as independence of judiciary is concerned. There was a talk of committed judiciary in the 1970s when emergency was there.

"I condemn this utterly irresponsible comment of Rahul Gandhi concerning judiciary and media. Modi government respects judiciary and upholds the freedom of media," he said.

Prasad said: "Rahul Gandhi`s observations are merely a political cry arising out of a deep sense of dismay as to why I am being rejected and why my party is being rejected by people."

On Gandhi`s accusations about the RSS, the BJP leader said that even Jawaharlal Nehru used to complain about RSS while Indira Gandhi used to run a campaign against it.

"When Rajiv Gandhi was facing charges of corruption over Bofors, he used to blame the RSS. The country knows about the RSS. It`s a nationalist and honest organisation. But Rahul Gandhi is not ready to understand," he said.

On Gandhi`s allegations that BJP salutes the national flag only after coming to power, the union minister said that the BJP was in power when Rahul Gandhi was not even born.

The BJP leader also took a dig at disgruntled Janata Dal-United leader Sharad Yadav for organising the "Save Composite Culture" conclave.

"Sharadji started his politics under JP (Jayaprakash Narayan) and his whole politics was based on opposition to the Congress. Today, he is feeling happy sitting in front of Rahul Gandhi," he said.