Patna, June 15 (IANS) The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has launched a scathing counterattack on RJD Rajya Sabha MP Manoj Kumar Jha after his article called for a ‘new freedom movement’ to reclaim India’s foundational values.

BJP leaders Gaurav Vallabh and Syed Shahnawaz Hussain accused the RJD of hypocrisy, dynasty politics, and corruption, saying the people of Bihar need freedom from the RJD itself.

BJP national spokesperson Gaurav Vallabh sharply criticised Jha’s remarks, calling them “a misrepresentation of India’s current reality” and an insult to the electorate’s mandate.

“I would request Manoj Jha to understand that Bihar and India need freedom from the politics of nepotism, anarchy, and corruption,” Vallabh said.

“We need freedom from families who crush the self-respect of women in their own homes, who are involved in scams like the fodder scam and land-for-jobs scandal, and who have made dynasty their ideology,” he said.

The BJP leader added that the people of Bihar will never forgive the culture of loot and legacy-driven governance promoted by the RJD over the years.

Echoing Vallabh’s sentiments, BJP leader and former Union Minister Syed Shahnawaz Hussain took the attack further by invoking Dr B.R. Ambedkar, alleging that RJD supremo Lalu Prasad Yadav had insulted the Constitution’s architect.

“The people of Bihar will take revenge in the elections for the insult done to Babasaheb Ambedkar. Manoj Jha speaks of freedom—does he want freedom from Lalu Yadav himself?” Hussain asked pointedly.

“India is respected globally. Our forces are striking deep into enemy territory. This is not the time for divisive rhetoric,” he said.

In the article that sparked the row—published on Sunday on a digital platform—Rajya Sabha MP Manoj Kumar Jha argued that India needed to reawaken the spirit of the original freedom movement, not just to oppose a regime, but to restore justice, unity, and moral courage in public life.

“The Indian freedom struggle was not merely about ending British rule. It was a civilizational call to empower the powerless and build a just and inclusive society,” Jha wrote.

“Today, after 78 years of Independence, our democracy is vibrant, but the values that sustained it are weakening,” Jha said.

He highlighted concerns about shrinking democratic space, erosion of public institutions, and the rise of divisive narratives.

–IANS

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