BJP leaders slam Rahul Gandhi for silence on JNU professor’s dismissal and accuse him of destabilising India

What triggered the BJP’s outcry?

On Oct 9, 2026, BJP national secretary Smriti Irani held a press conference in New Delhi and asked Rahul Gandhi why he had remained "silent" after Jawaharlal Nehru University dismissed Congress MP and professor Angomcha Bimol Akoijam. The university’s internal complaints committee had found the sexual‑harassment allegations made by at least eleven female students in May to be substantiated, leading to Akoijam’s immediate termination.

Statements from the BJP

Irani said, "The former Congress president repeatedly speaks about ‘smashing the patriarchy’. Yet, when a member of his own party is found guilty, there is no action." She referenced a recent video of Gandhi’s altercation with a female police officer, implying a pattern of inaction.

The following day, Oct 10, 2026, BJP president Nitin Nabin took the issue to a broader platform. In a televised address he asked, "Will Rahul Gandhi demand accountability from his own MP, or is his moral outrage reserved for political convenience?" Nabin then accused Gandhi’s INDIA alliance – and the so‑called Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) linked to Aam Aadmi Party leader Arvind Kejriwal – of attempting to destabilise a nation of 1.4 billion people, allegedly at the behest of foreign forces.

Akoijam’s response

After his dismissal, Akoijam told reporters he had not received the committee’s recommendations or the official order, calling the process a "witch‑hunt".

Why the criticism matters

The BJP’s attacks serve two purposes. First, they aim to portray the opposition as hypocritical on women’s safety, a topic that has featured prominently in recent parliamentary debates. Second, by framing Gandhi’s silence as part of a larger destabilisation plot, the party seeks to link domestic political disputes to national security, a narrative that has resonated in other recent BJP statements.

The political backdrop

Rahul Gandhi, as Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, has been under pressure from within his own party to act against Akoijam. The Congress leadership, however, has not publicly announced any disciplinary step, citing internal processes.

The BJP’s focus on this episode comes as the INDIA alliance prepares for upcoming state elections, and as the CJP continues to organise protests against the government. Whether the accusations will translate into electoral gains remains to be seen, but the episode underscores the increasingly personal nature of India’s political sparring.