The BJP on Sunday slammed the Opposition INDIA Bloc’s rally at Ramlila Maidan, saying it is not a “save democracy” meeting as projected but a “save family” and “hide corruption” rally.

The BJP also hit back at Rahul Gandhi over his “match-fixing” accusation against Prime Minister Narendra Modi, alleging that the Congress Government in the past handed over Katchatheevu island to Sri Lanka clinching a “deal” with the neighbouring country to benefit the party’s first family.

“These parties have been engulfed in total corruption. They are controlled by family fiefdom and their basic modus operandi of the politics is to create a communal, regional, linguistic divide and caste divide. They try to snatch the power and then fill up their coffers for the interest of their family. Now they are trying to raise this bogey of Loktantra Bachao (save democracy). It is parivar bachao aur bhrashtachar chhupao (save family, hide corruption),” BJP spokesperson Sudhanshu Trivedi said.

Trivedi cited corruption cases of a host of leaders, including those from the Congress, DMK and the RJD, to assert that all these charges date back to the pre-2014 period amid the Opposition’s accusation that the Modi Government is implicating them in graft probes due to its political vendetta.

Ramlila ground once hosted the “India against corruption” movement under the leadership of Anna Hazare, Trivedi said, adding that it is hosting on Sunday a rally for “everybody with corruption”.

Taking a veiled jibe at the Aam Aadmi Party and the Congress, Trivedi said the INDIA Bloc was trying to save the family and cover up corruption.

“And these birds of the same feather have flocked together to protect their family fiefdom and corruption,” he added.  Trivedi claimed all the INDIA Bloc parties were against the Ram Temple.

“Today it can be said that in order to hide their old crimes, all these parties which were against the Ram Temple, who made resolutions like mass destruction of Hindu religion, made many objectionable comments on the Gods and Goddesses of Hindu religion, are using Ramlila Maidan (in Delhi) to hide their old crimes of corruption,” he said.

People who trashed many leaders as thieves and crooks have joined hands with them, and it is a strange and startling sight, he said, in an apparent reference to the coming together of the Aam Aadmi Party with other Opposition parties.

Their leader is now Lalu Prasad, a convict in several corruption cases, he added.

They are all here to hide their old sins and it must be noted that they had been against the construction of the Ram Temple and some of them called for eradication of Hinduism, he alleged.

Addressing a Press conference here, BJP national spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla also slammed the Congress over Rahul’s claim that the entire country will be on fire if the saffron party returns to power and the Constitution is changed, saying that divisive politics is in the “DNA” of the main opposition.

The Congress did not hesitate to even allow the country’s partition on the lines of religion in 1947 leaving a portion of Jammu and Kashmir under Pakistan’s occupation, he charged.

Reacting sharply to Rahul’s remarks, Poonawalla said, “Some people are talking about match fixing. In 1974, the Indira Gandhi Government, compromising the country’s national interest and interest of the people of Tamil Nadu, handed over Katchatheevu island to Sri Lanka to benefit the Congress’ first family...Rahul, your family had done a deal-fixing.”

The BJP spokesperson also accused the Congress of letting Aksai Chin into the illegal occupation of China and a portion of Jammu and Kashmir into the illegal occupation of Pakistan.

Poonawalla also blamed the Congress for the partition of India in 1947. “Today scion of the Congress’ first family, joined by his party’s ally (DMK) in South, talks about dividing the country on the lines of caste and language in their bid to create North-South divide following the divide and rule policy of the British,” he charged.

“Betrayal against the country, compromise with national interest, divisive policies has been the part of the Congress’ DNA. It has always kept its first family’s interest and its ambitions above the national interest. Putting a dot on India, they talk about saving democracy today but they have come together to save their family and corruption,” the BJP leader alleged.