New Delhi, Nov 2026 : Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Sunday took a swipe at Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, saying that if he aspired to become Prime Minister, he should spend his entire life in a “Mock Parliament” as his chances of occupying the country’s top executive post in the real Parliament were negligible.
Shah’s remarks came a day after the Congress organised symbolic “impeachment proceedings” against Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar, with Gandhi and other opposition leaders participating in a rally in Delhi.
Speaking at an event, the Home Minister said Rahul Gandhi had been facing electoral defeats for the past 15 years, while his mother, Sonia Gandhi, had remained unsuccessful in fulfilling her dream of seeing him become Prime Minister.
“If Rahul Gandhi wants to become the Prime Minister of the country, he should spend his entire life in a ‘Mock Parliament’. In the real Parliament, your number will never come,” Shah said.
The Home Minister also criticised the Congress for holding its rally on November 1, the day associated with the 1984 anti-Sikh riots, saying it had hurt the families of the victims during their four-day mourning period.
“On November 1, 1984, the Congress orchestrated the massacre of thousands of innocent Sikhs in Delhi, and today, on the same day, Rahul Gandhi held a rally in Delhi, rubbing salt into the wounds of those victim families,” Shah said.
“I condemn the Congress for this rally on the day of the massacre. Due to his insensitivity, his ‘Mohabat ki Dukan’ will not be able to give people anything other than hatred,” he added.
Shah said the Narendra Modi-led government had reopened cases against those accused in the 1984 riots and ensured that guilty Congress leaders were sent to jail. He also cited compensation and employment provided to victims’ families as steps taken by the government.
The Home Minister alleged that Rahul Gandhi had proceeded with the rally despite requests from Sikh organisations and the BJP to avoid holding it on the anniversary of the violence.
Shah also said traders in Delhi had urged the Congress to postpone the rally until after Diwali, warning that it could affect business. “Delhi’s traders pleaded that the rally be held after Diwali, otherwise there would be heavy losses in business, but Rahul Baba just had to hold the rally on the very day the Sikh massacre took place,” he said.
Meanwhile, Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri led a BJP march in West Delhi against the 1984 anti-Sikh riots. The march, held under the slogan “Save Democracy, Remove Anarchy”, was aimed at expressing solidarity with the victims and their families.
In a post on X, Puri recalled that his parents were in Delhi during the violence and were sheltered by Hindu friends.
“My parents were in Delhi, and some of my Hindu friends had sheltered them in their homes, setting an example of humanity and brotherhood,” he said.
Puri described the massacre as a national tragedy and said its impact extended beyond one community. He said the lessons from the painful history included protecting humanity, ensuring justice for victims and strengthening national unity.
