'Pakistan most important component of anti-BJP Mahagathbandhan, aimed to break India'

NEW DELHI: Training guns on the opposition parties for their bid to stitch an ant-BJP grand alliance for the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, the BJP on Thursday said Pakistan is the "most important component" of the proposed Mahagathbandhan, aimed to "break India". Addressing a press meet at party headquarters here, BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra claimed the neighbouring country wants to oust the NDA government. "The Mahagathbandhan is being formed to break India. Pakistan is one of the most important components of this Mahagathbandhan. Congress is also a part of it," ANI quoted Patra as saying. The BJP leader said there are several powers in Pakistan who want Congress President Rahul Gandhi to be the Prime Minister. This is not the first time the BJP roped in Pakistan to attack the main opposition party. Last month, after getting hounded by the Congress on the Rafale deal, the ruling party had dragged the neighbouring country in the controversy. Union Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad had said Rahul Gandhi and Prime Minister of Pakistan, Imran Khan, were using the same language to target Modi over the controversial Rafale jet deal. Day after, reading out tweets posted by Pakistani leaders, including Imran Khan and present and former ministers attacking Narendra Modi, Sambit Patra had said they have been campaigning for Congress president Rahul Gandhi. "Some people want Gandhi to become a big leader in India. Who are they? They are Pakistani leaders, and also those who stand for corruption, dynasty and politics of appeasement," he had said. In response, the Congress had accused the BJP of taking "Pakistan's shelter" to deflect people's attention from key issues. "Faced with corruption exposed in Rafale scam, an unnerved, frustrated and worried Modi government is seeking shelter of Pakistan to deflect attention of the country. Was your love for Pakistan not apparent when you were indulging in saree-shawl diplomacy' while Pakistan was killing our soldiers," the Congress had said.