BJP calls Congress leaders naraz fufas over BRICS criticism

The BJP on Thursday attacked the Congress for questioning the benefits of hosting the BRICS Summit, accusing the opposition party of being unable to “digest” India’s rise on the global stage while calling its leaders naraz fufas (grumpy uncles) and “dimagi naxals”.

The 18th BRICS Summit will be held on September 12-13 at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi. Earlier in the day, the Congress recalled how the grouping came about and India first hosted the Summit in 2012, during which the then prime minister Manmohan Singh proposed the idea of a BRICS Development Bank.

BJP national president Nitin Nabin said at a time when the BRICS Summit is about to take place, such statements from Congress leaders are utterly shameful.

“The Congress is unable to digest India’s development. Even after going to foreign lands, Rahul Gandhi and other Congress leaders have continued to humiliate India. Even today, when such a grand international event is happening in the country, they are still pained by it,” Nabin told reporters in Rudrapur on the sidelines of a party event.

Hitting out at the Congress, he said the people of the country will “punish” the opposition party once again.

“Whenever the talk of the country’s development and rise comes up, Congress always feels pained. But Congress will not be able to stop this country’s development, because the leadership of the country is in the hands of a strong and visionary leader like Prime Minister Narendra Modi. In the coming days, the people of the country will punish Congress once again,” he said.

BJP MP and national spokesperson Sudhanshu Trivedi also hit out at Congress leaders, calling them “dimagi Naxals” and “naraz fufas”.

He added that the comments reflect the mindset of Congress leaders who have repeatedly underestimated India’s capabilities.

“These are the same people who had said that India simply could not enter the digital age, that people here were less intelligent. How would India become a digital power? Today, we are the world’s number one in digital infrastructure and digital power,” Trivedi said.

He also accused the Congress of failing to behave like a responsible Opposition under Rahul Gandhi.

“The conduct that was expected of Congress as a responsible Opposition under the leadership of Rahul Gandhi, the Congress is continuously destroying that dignity, and Chidambaram’s statement is one such example,” he said.

He said BRICS is emerging as an important platform as the global landscape changes and a new world order takes shape, with countries cooperating in areas including agriculture, health innovation, sustainable technologies, MSMEs, clean energy, skill development, science and research.

Trivedi said one of the areas of cooperation within BRICS is mental wellness and suggested that the Congress could benefit from it.

“I think Congress, under the leadership of Rahul Gandhi, should especially try to take advantage of the cooperation taking place on mental wellness, so that perhaps they can benefit from it,” he said.

He accused the Congress of being immersed in “jealousy, frustration, disappointment and despair” against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and alleged that this has led it to make “anti-India statements”.

BJP national spokesperson Pradeep Bhandari said the Congress is acting like a “naraz fufa” who opposes anything that is in the country’s interest.

“If the Congress party had done a basic Google search, it would know that BRICS contributes 40 per cent to global GDP. It would know that India’s exports to BRICS stand at USD 85 billion. It would also know the strategic importance of BRICS at a time when resources are being weaponised,” Bhandari said.

“The Congress leaders today have become naraz fufas. Whenever something good happens in the country, these naraz fufas look at it and start opposing it. Precisely this mindset is what the Prime Minister spoke about, and the Congress party is exposing itself,” he said.

He also said senior Congress leaders have realised that “in their entire lifetime they will not see a Congress Government coming to power”, and alleged that this is why they are suffering from FOMO, or “fear of missing out”.

“Appreciate India’s growth story. Appreciate the global reckoning that India is having in BRICS. Because if you do not do that, you will continue to sit in opposition,” Bhandari said.