Shah accuses Rahul Gandhi of 'standing with urban Naxals'

New Delhi: BJP president Amit Shah on Friday accused Congress chief Rahul Gandhi of standing with "urban naxals conspiring to kill" Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and asked him if he has lost his mental balance after losing public support.

"There is only one place for idiocy and it's called the Congress," the BJP chief said, and asserted that the Congress stands "exposed" with the order of the apex court, which refused to interfere with the arrests of five activists in the Koregaon-Bhima violence case.

Shah, who asked the Congress to clear its stand on the critical issue of urban naxalism, posted a barrage of tweets and later issued a statement on an issue he believes would fit in his party's campaign on the plank of national security.

The BJP also held a press conference in which its spokesperson Sambit Patra projected the apex court ruling as a vindication of his party's stand and defeat of the Congress.

"Rahul Gandhi sometimes stands with illegal infiltrators on the issue of NRC and sometimes with those in the JNU who raise slogans against India. Now he has stood with urban naxals conspiring to kill the prime minister. Has he lost his balance too after losing public support?" Shah said.

The court order has "exposed" the Congress, Gandhi, other opposition parties and so called intellectuals who have politicised the issue of national security, he said, adding that they should apologise to the country.

Shah also took a dig at the Congress over its "patriotism", saying Gandhi used the "khoon ki dalali" barb at the government following the Army's surgical strikes in Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir in 2016 and his mother and the then Congress president Sonia Gandhi cried over deaths of terrorists.

He was apparently referring to the controversy following the encounter killing of some terrorists in Batla house in 2008, as a Congress leader had allegedly claimed that Sonia Gandhi had cried looking at images of the encounter.

"There is only one place for idiocy and it's called the Congress. Support 'Bharat Ke Tukde Tukde Gang' (break India gang), Maoists, fake activists and corrupt elements. Defame all those who are honest and working. Welcome to Rahul Gandhi's Congress," Shah said. India is a vibrant democracy with a healthy culture of debate, discussion and dissent, he said, adding that "plotting against the country with the intent to harm its citizens is not one of these".

Those who politicised this issue need to apologise, he said.

The BJP president also tagged an August 28 tweet of Rahul Gandhi in which he had said that there is place for only one NGO in India, and it's called the RSS.

"Shut down all other NGOs. Jail all activists and shoot those that complain. Welcome to the new India," he had said following the arrests of five activists by Maharashtra police.