The BJP, on Saturday, attempted to mount a strong counteroffensive against the ongoing protests by the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) and opposition leaders in Delhi, describing the agitation as a "flop show" and accusing its organisers and the opposition of attempting to spread anarchy and destabilise the country.
As protests continued despite heavy security arrangements and the detention of several prominent opposition leaders, including Arvind Kejriwal, Mamata Banerjee, Pinarayi Vijayan and senior CJP leaders, including founder Abhijeet Dipke, Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka, the BJP fielded senior leaders to challenge the narrative surrounding the agitation. The party claimed that the protests had failed to disrupt normalcy in Delhi and added that this was a victory for democracy.
BJP leader Sambit Patra led the party's counterattack, alleging that the protest was intended to hold Delhi and the country hostage. He also accused Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi of attempting to spread anarchy in collaboration with foreign powers.
Addressing a press conference at the BJP headquarters, Patra claimed that the protests did not reflect the situation across the country.
"What is happening at Jantar Mantar and what is being shown on TV and across various social media handles does not represent the true story of India. India is peaceful, and India is moving forward with good governance," he said.
Patra argued that the opposition's attempt to create unrest had failed despite the mobilisation of protesters in the national capital.
"India is calm and going ahead under good governance. We have been seeing that a few anarchist forces have been spreading anarchy in a corner of Delhi for the past few days. But today the anarchists have failed," he said.
Patra alleged that the protesters had attempted to provoke violence and confrontations on the streets of Delhi.
"There were attempts to incite violence, physical altercations, and street battles here. It remained a flop show. Democracy triumphed over mob rule," he said.
He maintained that the situation remaining under control demonstrated the failure of those behind the agitation.
"Given the way democracy has asserted itself in Delhi today and the fact that the entire situation is under control, I wish to reiterate that the anarchists have failed, and their flop show did not succeed," Patra added.
He also targeted Gandhi over his remarks on Friday that President Droupadi Murmu had not denied the INDIA bloc's allegations of "vote chori" during a meeting. Patra condemned the remarks and called Gandhi a "nalayak" leader.
BJP MP Ravi Shankar Prasad cited the bypoll results in West Bengal and Assam to claim that there is no negative sentiment against the party and said that while the BJP is not against protests, the opposition has weaponised protests because of its electoral defeats.
He said, "Based on the events of today and the preceding three days, two things have become clear. One, Indian democracy has thwarted attempts to incite anarchy. Two, the country will be governed by Parliament, not by the streets. The results came in yesterday: the BJP won in Assam and Nandigram. The BJP also won in Puducherry. All these elections took place while this entire mischief was unfolding in Delhi over the past several days. The BJP wishes to particularly highlight that this stellar performance in Bengal, Assam, and Puducherry occurred while a movement for anarchy was underway in Delhi and other parts of the country... We are not opposed to protests, but you have weaponised street protests because of your electoral defeats..."
Other senior BJP leaders joined the counteroffensive, questioning the opposition's motives and accusing it of attempting to create instability instead of fulfilling its democratic responsibilities.
Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav said opposition parties should respect the electoral mandate and focus on strengthening their organisations rather than resorting to protests that, according to him, encouraged anarchy.
"When a party receives a mandate for five years in an election, the Opposition ought to gradually fulfil its role, strengthen its organisation, and analyse why people are opposed to them," Yadav said, according to news agency ANI.
He accused Gandhi and other opposition leaders of attempting to spread unrest and called on the Congress to introspect over its electoral setbacks.
"The Congress was wiped out in Bihar, Bengal, and UP decades ago, so the party needs to introspect," he said.
Union Minister Sukanta Majumdar also questioned the intentions behind the CJP-led protest.
"The movement is an attempt to destabilise the country," Majumdar alleged, according to ANI.
He also raised questions about the sources of CJP's funding and political support. "Everyone knows where CJP is getting its funding and strength from."
Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini sought to counter the opposition's appeal to young protesters by highlighting the governance record of the Narendra Modi government.
Saini said younger generations might not be fully aware of the difficulties people faced before 2014 and argued that the present government had brought greater transparency to public administration. "PM Narendra Modi has transformed that environment," he said.
Saini pointed out that young people naturally seek further progress, but they should also understand the policies and intentions of previous Congress governments.
"Today, we have made the system transparent. Benefits are reaching people directly, something that has become possible only under the leadership of PM Narendra Modi," he said.
The BJP's counteroffensive came as central Delhi witnessed extensive security arrangements to prevent protesters from gathering at Jantar Mantar. Thousands of security personnel were deployed across the area, and hundreds of protesters and several political leaders heading towards the protest site were detained by police.
