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New Delhi, November 19 (IANS) Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader and head of the party’s National Information and Technology Department Amit Malviya launched a scathing attack on the Congress party over awarding the prestigious Indira Gandhi Award for Peace, Disarmament and Development to former Chilean President and former UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet.
In a strongly worded statement, Malviya described the Congress decision as “revealing as could be predicted”, accusing Bachelet of pushing a “blatantly anti-India, pro-Islam narrative” during her tenure as UN Human Rights Commissioner from 2018 to 2022.
He claimed that his actions are completely in sync with the “global left-liberal ecosystem”, which the Congress readily embraces.
Malviya alleged that Bachelet, a lifelong member of Chile’s leftist Socialist Party, repeatedly targeted India under the pretext of protecting “minority rights” and “freedom of expression”.
He alleged that these principles were weaponized to legitimize divisive rhetoric, interfere in India’s internal affairs, and undermine democratic decisions – particularly regarding Kashmir which he called a “discredited myth” and accused of “marginalizing Muslims”.
Malviya commented, “The real issue is not his bias. It is the Congress’s eagerness to reward him.” He suggested that the opposition party is seeking validation from international figures who share its alleged hostility towards India’s interests.
He portrayed the award as an ideological alignment between Rahul Gandhi’s group and foreign critics rejected by the Indian electorate.
The BJP leader insisted that for a party that had been “rejected and rejected” by the voters, it was natural to find “ideological partners abroad”, adding sarcastically: “Good luck to them – because the country has clearly moved on.”
The Indira Gandhi Award, instituted by the Congress-linked Indira Gandhi Memorial Trust, has previously honored global personalities such as Angela Merkel and David Attenborough.
Bachelet’s selection this year has reignited political tensions, with the BJP calling it evidence of Congress’s disconnect with the national spirit.
Congress has not yet officially reacted to Malviya’s criticism.
–IANS
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