Congress leader and former union minister Salman Khurshid sparked a controversy after he said what is happening in Bangladesh can happen in India. His comment evoked a sharp reaction from the BJP, which called him an 'anarchist'.
"Everything may look normal in Kashmir. Everything may look normal here. We may be celebrating the victory, although of course, some people believe that that victory or that success of 2024 was perhaps only marginal, perhaps a lot more needs to be done," he said while speaking at the launch of academician Mujibur Rehman's book Shikwa-e-Hind: The Political Future of Indian Muslims. "The fact remains that under the surface there is something."
"What's happening in Bangladesh can happen here... the spread in our country prevents things blowing up in the manner in which they've blown up in Bangladesh," he said.
Khurshid was referring to waves of violent anti-government protests in Bangladesh, following which Sheikh Hasina was forced to resign and flee the country. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) slammed Khurshid, he has given a warning on behalf of the Congress. "This is a serious issue. When we are witnessing such a situation in neighbouring countries, the main opposition party Congress wants the same situation in India," BJP MP Sambit Patra told reporters outside Parliament. He asked if it was a warning from the Congress.
Patra claimed some other Congress leaders have made similar remarks that protests and arson would happen in India just like in Bangladesh. "This is a warning Salman Khurshid has given on behalf of the Congress. Other leaders, including Shashi Tharoor, were present at the book launch event, in a way supporting what he said," Patra said.
"What is the thought process of the Congress party? Rahul Gandhi used to say there will be arson and riots in this country, there will be attacks on the PM, why was he saying that," Patra asked.
Congress MP Shashi Tharoor, who was also present at the event, said he could not explain what Khurshid meant but, he added, that the larger message that Bangladesh has given is about the importance of democracy and free and fair elections.
"Generally speaking, the larger message that the Bangladesh experience has given is the importance of democracy, of free and fair elections, transparency, engaging people in the system, making sure all institutions of democracy function fairly," Tharoor said.
"When that happens, there will be much less cause of this kind of thing to occur," he said. Tharoor also said that India should stand with the people of Bangladesh. "Let us hope they will have a chance to determine their own political destiny," he said.
BJP's Rajiv Pratap Rudy also slammed Khurshid and said his statement was a kind of sedition. "He is also a member of the CWC, this is an anarchist statement, and I think it is a kind of sedition. It's unfortunate that the Congress is resorting to such anarchist statements to hide its failure," Rudy said.