A fresh war of words erupted between the Congress and the BJP on Wednesday after Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi said the grand old party is ”fighting the Indian state itself” and that RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat had committed “treason” with his controversial remarks on India’s independence.

BJP national president J P Nadda slammed Gandhi over his remarks and said, “He and his ecosystem have close links with ‘urban Naxals’ who want to defame India.”

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Speaking during the inauguration of the Congress’ new headquarters, Indira Gandhi Bhawan, named after the former prime minister, Gandhi said, “The BJP and RSS have captured every single institution of our country. We are now fighting the BJP, RSS and the Indian state itself.”

Referring to Bhagwat’s remarks, he said, “Yesterday, in a speech, the chief of the RSS said that India never achieved true independence in 1947, but rather when the Ram Mandir was built. In fact, what he has said yesterday is treason because it is stating that the Constitution is invalid. He is stating the fight against the British was invalid.”

Notably, the RSS chief at an event in Madhya Pradesh’s Indore on Monday said, “The true independence of India, which had faced many centuries of persecution, was established on that day (the day of Ram temple’s ‘Pran Pratishtha’). India had independence but it was not established.”

Reacting to Gandhi’s remarks, the BJP chief in a post on X wrote, “Hidden no more, Congress’ ugly truth now stands exposed by their own leader. I ‘compliment’ Rahul Gandhi for saying clearly what the nation knows- that he is fighting the Indian state.”

Accusing the Leader of Opposition of having close links with “Urban Naxals”, Nadda said, “It is not a secret that Gandhi and his ecosystem have close links with Urban Naxals and the Deep State who want to defame, demean and discredit India. His repeated actions have also strengthened this belief. Everything he has done or said has been in the direction of breaking India and dividing our society.”

He said the Congress has a history of encouraging all those forces who want a “weak” India.

“Their greed for power meant compromising the nation’s integrity and betraying the trust of the people. But, the people of India are wise. They have decided that they will always reject Rahul Gandhi and his rotten ideology,” Nadda said, attacking the grand old party.

Echoing similar sentiments, Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in a post on X wrote, “The Leader of Opposition, who was sworn in by taking oath on the Constitution, is now saying, ‘We are now fighting the BJP, the RSS and the Indian State itself.’ So, Congress and Rahul Gandhi, what for are you carrying a copy of the Constitution in your hand?”

Union minister Hardeep Singh Puri also attacked Gandhi and said, “He should get his mental stability checked”.

While BJP national spokesperson Gaurav Bhatia at a press conference at the party headquarters said, “India deserves a more responsible, faithful Leader of Opposition. It’s our misfortune that we have a part time, irresponsible and immature Leader of Opposition in Rahul Gandhi, who also happens to be guided by forces like George Soros, forces that are ‘inimical’ to the integrity of our country.”

He asserted that Gandhi’s words, actions and his belief itself “hurt” the sovereignty and integrity of the country, and added that this is not the first time that he had done so.