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NEW DELHI: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Amit Malviya on Tuesday criticised leader of the opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, calling his Punjab visit a “drama.””After yet another secret holiday in Malaysia’s Langkawi, Rahul Gandhi landed in Punjab, a state Congress lost to AAP, to stage yet another drama,” Malviya said in a post on X.He added, “The pretext: meeting flood victims. The reality: throwing tantrums at Punjab Police, insisting he be taken to dangerous terrains despite serious security risks.” His remarks came a day after Congress accused the Punjab Police of stopping Gandhi from visiting flood-affected villagers across the Ravi river in Gurdaspur district.Gandhi was in Punjab on Monday to meet flood-hit people in Amritsar and Gurdaspur. He visited Ghonewal village in Amritsar and Gurchak village in Gurdaspur.Also read: 6 days after PM’s tour, Rahul visits flood-hit PunjabMalviya further said, “A responsible leader would have consoled victims, supported rescue efforts, and strengthened administration. Instead, Rahul Gandhi chose to disrupt, distract, and destabilize. Irresponsibility at its peak.”Congress leaders said Gandhi was stopped by local police from visiting Toor, a border village across the Ravi river in Gurdaspur. Punjab Congress chief Amrinder Singh Raja Warring claimed the police cited security reasons.A video also surfaced showing Gandhi questioning senior police officials on why he was not allowed to go across the river.”You are telling me that you cannot keep me safe on Indian territory. That is what you are saying,” Gandhi asked a Punjab Police officer.The officer replied, “We are always ready to protect you.”Gandhi then said, “But you are saying that is India (while pointing towards the village across Ravi river) and you cannot protect me in India.””Is it not India,” he asked, accompanied by state unit chief Warring and MP Sukhjinder Randhawa.”You want to say that the LoP (Leader of Opposition) cannot go because Punjab Police is unable to protect,” Gandhi said.Later, Congress leader and former Punjab chief minister Charanjit Singh Channi also accused the Punjab government of preventing Gandhi from visiting the village across the Ravi river.”Our own people stay there. He (Gandhi) wanted to enquire about their well-being. We have been holding a medical camp there for the past three days. It is unfortunate that he was not being allowed to meet people,” Channi told reporters.
