The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) lashed out at Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Saturday following his comments about his party’s leadership and workers, accusing him of failing to take responsibility for his party's election losses.

During his two-day visit to Gujarat, Gandhi suggested that Congress needed to "filter out" leaders and workers allegedly working for the BJP, hinting at potential removals and warning of strict actions against those found disloyal.

Reacting sharply, BJP spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla stated that Gandhi was deflecting blame for his party's repeated electoral defeats. He remarked that Gandhi's words were an admission of his failure and called it a “self-trolling” moment. "Rahul Gandhi has trolled himself and his party in Gujarat, and shown a mirror to himself," Poonawalla said, referring to Gandhi blaming Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and party workers for his own shortcomings.

Gandhi criticised for failure to introspect

Poonawalla further emphasised that Gandhi had led the party to defeat in more than 90 elections, making him the "biggest asset" of the BJP. “If getting the party defeated in the election is an art, the artist is Rahul Gandhi,” he quipped.

He also questioned Gandhi's treatment of Congress workers, accusing him of degrading them by referring to them as “race ka ghoda” (racehorse) and “barati ka ghoda” (horse used in wedding processions). Poonawalla challenged Gandhi to introspect on his actions, asking, “Are you in cohorts with the BJP?”

Accusations of undermining Congress leadership

Poonawalla also raised concerns over Gandhi's remarks about Kharge, questioning whether Gandhi was undermining the Congress president's leadership. He demanded Gandhi stop insulting Kharge and his party workers, urging him to “introspect on how much your family is responsible for the bad condition of Congress in Gujarat and the entire country.”

With PTI inputs