The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Wednesday strongly criticised Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, calling him a “textbook example” of separatism in Indian politics. The BJP’s response followed Gandhi’s recent allegation that the Centre tried to block actor-politician Vijay’s film Jana Nayagan, which he described as an attack on Tamil culture and an attempt to “suppress the voice of Tamil people.”Addressing reporters, BJP national spokesperson Guru Prakash Paswan described Gandhi’s remarks as “extremely shameful and baseless” and urged him to refrain from engaging in divisive politics based on region, language and caste. The BJP leader said Gandhi’s statement lacked logic and did not reflect reality, while lauding Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s sensitivity to Tamil language, culture and heritage over the past 11 years.
Paswan added that the BJP has consistently promoted Tamil identity on national and global platforms, including encouraging students in northern India to learn the language. He accused those with “separatist tendencies” of attempting political disruption by exploiting regional and linguistic sentiments, and said Gandhi’s past actions showed a pattern of insensitivity.