Under attack following the Supreme Court's order on Arunachal Pradesh, the Bharatiya Janata Party on Wednesday sought to deflect the criticism saying the political crisis in the state was an outcome of Congress' internal fight and that it supported the new government only from outside.
The party maintained that it will respond to the apex court's judgement after studying its order in detail and claimed the verdict was not a setback to it.
It targetted the Congress after its vice president Rahul Gandhi took potshots at Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Gandhi thanked the court for "explaining" to Modi what democracy is.
"What happened in Arunachal was an outcome of internal fight within Congress. Its government was reduced to minority after a faction within the party rebelled. We only supported the faction's bid for power from the outside. The Congress should not blame us for its internal problems.
"Rahul is talking about democracy but he should know that past Congress governments have made a century of the use of Article 356 (of the Constitution) to dismiss state governments," BJP national secretary Shrikant Sharma said.
The Supreme Court has ordered restoration of the Congress government, headed by Nabam Tuki, in Arunachal Pradesh by quashing all decisions of the Governor that had precipitated its fall in January, holding them "violative" of the Constitution.
Meanwhile, BJP national spokesperson Nalin Kohli told media persons in Guwahati that the party would decide on the future course of action on Arunachal Pradesh only after a thorough study of the Supreme Court judgement.
"The order has to be studied in detail and whatever structured response will come, it will be thereafter, because there will be various aspects to it," he said on the sidelines of the first conclave of North East Democratic Alliance.
"Why is the Congress rejoicing so much? Why are they saying as if the BJP is not a democratic party? If anyone murdered democracy in this country, then it has always been the Congress. They don't even have a democratically elected leader," Kohli said.
He questioned the Congress as to why many of its leaders, members of Legislative Assembly and grassroots workers were leaving the party.
"As of today, the factual position is that Nabam Tuki is a leader without any MLA. Congress party is without any karyakarta and workers. If Tuki is democratic, then why did MLAs leave him?" he asked.
"What happened in Arunachal Pradesh in terms of locking the assembly gate, law and order outside Assembly, if that's the democratic tradition Congress party is proud of, then I'm sure people of Arunachal will give a befitting reply," Kohli said.
"The Congress misused the Article 356 many times. Emergency is again an example," he said.