If alive, Indira Gandhi would have banned BJP, says Ashoke Gehlot

JAIPUR: Former chief minister Ashok Gehlot Sunday launched a scathing attack on the BJP-led Centre, claiming that if former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi were alive today, she would have "banned a party like the BJP".Addressing a gathering on the 607th Yaum-e-Shahadat of Nawab Dada Qaim Khan, Gehlot said the current political atmosphere was the most dangerous he witnessed in his five decades of public life. "If the country has to be saved and democracy protected, people must wake up. In my 50 years of political life, I have never seen such a dangerous atmosphere. If the country does not realise what is happening, future generations will pay the price," Gehlot said.The senior Congress leader accused the BJP of pursuing politics centred on religious polarisation and alleged that democratic institutions were under strain. Referring to the BJP's electoral strategy, he questioned the absence of Muslim representation in the party's candidate selection in states such as Uttar Pradesh.

"There are 403 Assembly seats in Uttar Pradesh, yet not a single Muslim candidate is fielded.

What message does that send? You call yourself a national party, but your politics is increasingly centred around religious identity," Gehlot said. Gehlot claimed that leaders such as Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi and Shahnawaz Hussain, who once represented minority faces within the BJP, were sidelined.Escalating his attack, Gehlot said, "If a leader like Indira Gandhi were alive today, she would have imposed a ban on a party like the BJP.

Can politics be run solely on the agenda of Hindutva? The Constitution does not permit politics in the name of religion."The former chief minister alleged that there was a time when invoking religion during elections could invite legal consequences, but said such norms were no longer being enforced. He cited a past election dispute involving former Vice President Bhairon Singh Shekhawat to argue that electoral standards weakened over time. The event was organised by Rajasthan Waqf Board chairman Khanu Khan Budwali.