'Ehsaan faramosh': BJP leaders slam Rahul Gandhi, accuse him of creating north-south divide

New Delhi: BJP top leadership, including party president JP Nadda, Shivraj Singh Chouhan, UP CM Yogi Adityanath and EAM S Jaishankar, have launched an all-out attack on Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and called him an “opportunist” who is trying to create a north-south divide.

The top BJP leaders slammed the Gandhi scion over his remarks "comparing" his present Wayanad parliamentary constituency in Kerala to his previous Amethi seat and said that he was a man of ''divisive mentality.'' 

BJP president JP Nadda accused Gandhi of "spewing venom against the North"."A few days back he was in the Northeast, spewing venom against the western part of India. Today in the South he is spewing venom against the North. Divide and rule politics won`t work, Rahul Gandhi Ji!" Nadda said in a tweet. 

A few days back he was in the Northeast, spewing venom against the western part of India.

Today in the South he is spewing venom against the North.

Divide and rule politics won’t work, @RahulGandhi Ji!

People have rejected this politics. See what happened in Gujarat today! https://t.co/KbxZSJ4sdt — Jagat Prakash Nadda (@JPNadda) February 23, 2021

Gandhi, who addressed an event to mark the conclusion of ‘Aishwarya Kerala Yatra’ in poll-bound Kerala, said he had been an MP for 15 years from the north and used to a different type of politics and coming to Kerala was very refreshing.

"For the first 15 years, I was an MP in the north. I had got used to a different type of politics. For me, coming to Kerala was very refreshing as suddenly I found that people are interested in issues not just superficially but they like to go into detail about issues," Rahul had said.

"I was talking to some students in the United States and I said to them I really enjoy going to Kerala. It’s not just affection but the way you do your politics, the intelligence with which you do your politics. So, for me, it’s been a learning experience and a pleasure," he added.

Gandhi had represented Amethi, a bastion of the Nehru-Gandhi family, for 15 years in Lok Sabha. He fought from two constituencies in 2019 and was defeated from Amethi but won from Wayanad in Kerala. 

On his turn, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan accused the Congress of trying to create a "north-south" divide in the country. 

"Wherever Rahul Gandhi has landed, Congress has been grounded. Rahulji had earlier made north India free of Congress and now he has headed southwards. For us and the people, the entire country is one. Congress wants to divide the country into north and south. People will not allow these attempts to succeed," Chouhan said in a tweet.

जहाँ-जहाँ पाँव पड़े राहुल गांधी के, तहाँ-तहाँ कांग्रेस का बंटाधार!

राहुल जी ने पहले उत्तर भारत को कांग्रेस मुक्त कर दिया, अब दक्षिण को चले हैं!

हमारे और जनता के लिए पूरा देश एक है। कांग्रेस भारत को उत्तर और दक्षिण में बाँटना चाहती है, जनता ऐसे प्रयासों को सफल नहीं होने देगी। pic.twitter.com/6HBzvn10KI — Shivraj Singh Chouhan (@ChouhanShivraj) February 23, 2021

Union Minister and senior BJP leader Smriti Z Irani also slammed Rahul Gandhi.

एहसान फरामोश!

इनके बारे में तो दुनिया कहती है -

थोथा चना बाजे घना। https://t.co/3jsNYn6IPq — Smriti Z Irani (@smritiirani) February 23, 2021

"Not Rahul, it’s his divisive mentality that is speaking. It is the same Congress that divided the country into India and Pakistan on the basis of religion. Do they now want to divide it into North & South? he People will not let such efforts succeed," he said.

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar also took a dig at Gandhi over his remarks and said "never run down a region, never divide us"."I hail from the South. I am an MP from a Western state. I was born, educated and worked in the North. I represented all of India before the World. India is one. Never run down a region; never divide us," he said in a tweet.

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath accused Gandhi of "practising cheap politics" and resorting to regionalism. 

"Rahulji, Atalji had once said that India is not just a piece of land, but a living ‘Rashtrapurush’. Please don't try to divide it for your cheap politics by the sword of regionalism. India was one, is one, and will always be one," he said.