BJP attacks Congress over honouring Michelle Bachelet with Indira Gandhi Prize

NEW DELHI: Amit Malviya, the BJPs in-charge of the National Information and Technology Department, has questioned the Congress on the rationale behind honouring Michelle Bachelet with the Indira Gandhi Prize for Peace, Disarmament, and Development. The decision to award the prize to Bachelet, the former President of Chile and ex-UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, drew criticism from the BJP soon after Sonia Gandhi, the Congress Parliamentary Party chairperson, presented the award during a ceremony on Wednesday. On Friday, he launched a scathing attack on the Congress, saying the decision raised an uncomfortable but important question: Why does Prime Minister Modi refer to today's Congress as the Muslim League-Marxist Congress? Malviya argued that there was no apparent political advantage for the Congress in celebrating Bachelet, as no electoral constituency in India would benefit. Yet the party went ahead, which, according to him, became clearer when examining who led the jury that selected her. Malviya criticised the Congresss decision as revealing and predictable. He accused Bachelet of having a strong anti-India stance during her tenure as UN High Commissioner, aligning with what he described as a global left-liberal narrative sympathetic to Islamists. According to him, Bachelets criticism of India, particularly on issues such as the marginalisation of Muslims, fits into this broader agenda. He alleged that Congresss eagerness to honour her stemmed from a shared ideological affinity with those critical of India. Continuing his attack, he said that for a party rejected by Indian voters, it made sense for Congress to seek validation from those who shared its prejudices and hostility towards Indias interests. Malviya also targeted Rahul Gandhi, alleging that he and his associates had found ideological allies abroad. Good luck to them, because the country has clearly moved on, he remarked. Similarly, BJP national spokesperson Gaurav Bhatia criticised the Congress over Bachelets award, focusing especially on the presence of Jagdish Tytler at the event. He questioned Sonia Gandhis apparent indifference to the pain of the victims of the 1984 anti-Sikh riots. The BJP also criticised Bachelet for her remarks on the Kashmir lockdown following the revocation of Article 370 in 2019. Bhatia accused the Congress of having an anti-India DNA and said the party had honoured Bachelet, who he claimed had consistently attacked Indias sovereignty. Bhatia declared that the current Congress was no longer the party of Mahatma Gandhi but one that stood with anti-India forces. He further alleged that Congress was an army of traitors whose sole aim was to regain power at any cost. He also criticised Bachelet for her concerns over the National Register of Citizens (NRC) in Assam, questioning her authority to comment on an issue mandated by the Supreme Court. Bhatia also questioned whether Sonia Gandhi had the right to present the award to someone who, in his view, indulged in anti-India activities, disrespected the Indian Constitution and undermined Indias mandate. He asked, Does Sonia Gandhi still not consider herself an Indian in the country that gave her respect? Is this not a violation of the oath of the Constitution that she has taken?