BJP accuses Rahul Gandhi of stalling Parliament debate – The Tribune

The BJP on Wednesday accused Congress leader Rahul Gandhi of disrupting Parliament to avoid a discussion on the Modi government’s record of bringing fugitive offenders back to India from abroad.

The party also accused the Gandhi scion of making “baseless” remarks against the BJP and the RSS.

Addressing a press conference here, BJP spokesperson Gaurav Bhatia described Rahul Gandhi as an “immature and part-time” Leader of the Opposition who is “scared” of a comparison between the Narendra Modi government’s performance and that of the previous Congress-led UPA dispensation.

“A very important subject needs to be discussed today. Everyone is wondering why the Leader of the Opposition, the immature, irresponsible, part-time Leader of the Opposition, Rahul Gandhi, is not allowing Parliament to function. The Leader of the Opposition only works to divide the country. Standing with anarchic elements makes one anarchic as well,” he said.

The BJP claimed that between 2019 and 2026, the Centre successfully brought back 274 fugitives from 36 countries, describing it as evidence of the government’s commitment to bringing offenders to justice in India.

“On an average, 40 fugitives have been brought back every year. Compare this with the UPA government, when on an average only four fugitives were brought back every year,” Bhatia said.

Marking seven years since the abrogation of Article 370, the BJP spokesperson described Aug. 5 as a “historic day” and credited Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah for the move.

Bhatia also said the Modi government had recovered nearly Rs 19,000 crore from returned fugitive offenders and alleged that previous Congress governments lacked the political resolve required to pursue such individuals.

Raising questions about the nature of the offences committed by the returned fugitives, he said many of them were accused in serious criminal cases.

“A question naturally comes to mind, and I would like to place it before you. What crimes had these fugitives committed? These are people accused of serious offences. There are 53 accused of sexual offences, including rape and POCSO crimes against children; 42 are accused of organised crime and gangster activities; 18 are accused of human trafficking and kidnapping; 17 are accused of terrorist and anti-national activities. Terrorists have been brought back. Nobody can look at India with an evil eye,” he said.

Bhatia further said the list also included 16 accused booked under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act for drug trafficking and 12 individuals accused in counterfeit currency and cybercrime cases, along with several others wanted for fraud and financial offences.