"Congress has become a political parasite, survives on allies' votes": BJP President JP Nadda

Puri (Odisha) [India], July 19 : BJP National President and Union Minister JP Nadda on Friday targeted the Congress and said that the party is like 'Amarlata ki bel', a parasite that is standing on the strength of other parties and by taking the support of other parties, it survives on its allies' votes.
The remarks by the Union Minister came while addressing the BJP State Executive Committee Meeting in Odisha's Puri on Thursday.
Stepping up his attacks on Congress, Nadda said, "One more thing I would like to say about Congress. The party is like Amarlata ki bel (Giant-dodder). It is a parasite. 'Ye apne takat par khadi nahi hoti, ye dusro ke takat pr khadi hoti hai.' They don't stand on their own strength but stand on the strength of others. Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh have 64 Lok Sabha seats. When the Congress party fights directly with the BJP, the BJP wins 62 out of 64 seats. Congress gets two seats. Their strike rate is even less than 25 per cent."
Nadda further said, "And where they have won? Like parasites, they have won seats by climbing onto other parties. And where regional parties don't support them, there they become zero..."
He said, "In 13 states, Congress is zero. In Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Arunachal Pradesh, Sikkim, Mizoram, Tripura, Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Delhi, Andaman and Nicobar, Dadra and Nagar Haveli, and Ladakh, the Congress party is zero... But still, an attempt is being made to appear enthusiastic as if there has been a huge victory. Even if the entire India alliance is combined, the BJP still has the upper hand."
The BJP National President further said that the Congress weakens other parties. "And whoever the Congress party associates with, it weakens them because it is the nature of the vine that it takes its strength from the tree. 'Ye dusri partiyo ka sahara le kar ke, sahyogi partiyo ke votes par zinda rehti hai aur usi ka vote kha jati hai.' (By taking the support of other parties, it survives on the votes of its allies and eats away their votes.)"
Nadda also criticised the party over the Constitution and said, "These people call themselves the saviours of Congress but they're not. 'Ye rakshak nahi bhakshak hai.' They have hurt the Constitution not once but several times. On June 25, 1975, we were taken to jail. About 1,25,000 people were put behind bars. 'Ye Rahul kya jane itihas, ye Rahul kya jaane apne dadi ke karname.' (What does Rahul Gandhi know about history? What does Rahul Gandhi know about his grandmother's deeds?... PM Modi has said that June 25 should be remembered as 'Samvidhan Raksha Divas.'"
Meanwhile, Nadda also took to his official X handle and posted about his address in Puri and said, "Addressed the dedicated BJP Odisha Karyakartas at the BJP State Executive Meeting in Puri, Odisha today. Delighted to be in the revered land of Lord Jagannath."
He added, "The recent election outcomes in Odisha's Assembly and Lok Sabha underscore the people's commitment to development and prosperity, aligning with PM Narendra Modi's vision of 'Viksit Odisha' and 'Viksit Bharat@2047'. This victory is the result of the relentless efforts of our dedicated Karyakartas who worked tirelessly for our shared vision and progress."