Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday lambasted the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Gujarat for allegedly deploying bulldozers against Dalits, backward classes, and the poor, while allocating vast tracts of land to crony capitalists at nominal or no cost. He cited the demolition of over 400 homes in Gandhinagar's Pethapur slum as emblematic of the "Gujarat model," a term often associated with the state's economic development under former Chief Minister Narendra Modi, which Gandhi claims the BJP seeks to replicate nationwide. Gandhi shared a video of the razed structures on X to underscore his point.

In his Hindi post on X, Gandhi detailed how the homes were labeled "illegal" despite residents possessing valid documents such as electricity bills, tax receipts, ration cards, Aadhaar cards, and voter IDs. He specifically accused the BJP of favoring industrialist Gautam Adani by granting him thousands of acres for free or at Rs 1, contrasting this with the harsh treatment of marginalized communities. The Pethapur incident, according to Gandhi, is part of a pattern where authorities disregard evidence of legitimate residency, leading to widespread displacement.

Gandhi further alleged that the BJP lacks a genuine public mandate and forms governments through "theft and by capturing institutions." He pointed to similar demolitions reported in Delhi and other regions, some occurring despite court-issued stay orders, as evidence of systemic bias against the underprivileged. These actions, he claimed, serve to redistribute national assets to a select few billionaire allies, undermining democratic principles.

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The Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha vowed that India's democracy would prioritize people's rights and resist such encroachments. "We will not let the BJP and its friends steal in the country," Gandhi asserted. His remarks come amid ongoing debates over urban development policies and land acquisition practices in BJP-ruled states, highlighting tensions between economic growth initiatives and social justice concerns.

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