Nearly three weeks after Prime Minister Narendra Modi warned against 'dimaagi Naxals' and called for their isolation, Congress MP Rahul Gandhi on Monday retorted to his Independence Day remarks and accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of using such terms to evade accountability following incidents such like Satya Niketan tragedy that left seven people dead.
The Leader of Opposition (LoP) in Lok Sabha made the remarks on microblogging platform X (previously Twitter), using the hastag 'TINA', which he defined as "There Is No Accountability". Notably, the 'TINA' factor is cited by PM Modi's supporter, which they define as "There Is No Alternative".
This is the first time Gandhi has responded to PM Modi's 'dimaagi Naxals' jibe that he made during his August 15 speech in the Red Fort. Since then, the BJP and the Congress have continuously targeted each other over the term, with the latter alleging that the former calls anyone a 'dimaagi Naxal' who questions the government.
In his X post in Hindi on Monday, Gandhi said the BJP always blame low-level officials and allow the real culprits to escape, adding that it never takes any steps to prevent a tragedy. He also said Sunday's Satya Niketan tragedy is not an isolated incident and many such cases have been reported in the national capital in last four months.
"In the last four months, six people died in a similar disaster in Saidulajab, and a fire in Hauz Rani claimed 22 lives," the former Congress president said. "Every time, lives, dreams, and aspirations get buried under rubble -- and every time, any real action is nowhere to be found."
"And when you demand accountability, the prime minister himself slaps you with insulting labels like 'dimagi Naxal and naraaz phoopha' -- the intent being to shame, defame, and silence anyone who dares to ask questions," Gandhi added.
Gandhi, who is a Lok Sabha member from Uttar Pradesh's Rae Bareli, said Delhi has a 'triple-engine' government and therefore, it cannot have an excuse to save itself from taking accountability for the incident. "The helplessness stems from a lack of intent -- because where there's no intent, there's no accountability either," he said.
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