NEW DELHI: Amit Malviya, the BJP’s in-charge of the National Information and Technology Department, has questioned the Congress on the rationale behind honouring Michelle Bachelet with the Indira Gandhi Prize for Peace, Disarmament, and Development.

The decision to award the prize to Bachelet, the former President of Chile and ex-UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, drew criticism from the BJP soon after Sonia Gandhi, the Congress Parliamentary Party chairperson, presented the award during a ceremony on Wednesday.

On Friday, he launched a scathing attack on the Congress, saying the decision raised an uncomfortable but important question: Why does Prime Minister Modi refer to today's Congress as the “Muslim League-Marxist Congress”? Malviya argued that there was no apparent political advantage for the Congress in celebrating Bachelet, as no electoral constituency in India would benefit. Yet the party went ahead, which, according to him, became clearer when examining who led the jury that selected her.

Malviya criticised the Congress’s decision as “revealing” and “predictable.” He accused Bachelet of having a strong anti-India stance during her tenure as UN High Commissioner, aligning with what he described as a global left-liberal narrative sympathetic to Islamists. According to him, Bachelet’s criticism of India, particularly on issues such as the marginalisation of Muslims, fits into this broader agenda.

He alleged that Congress’s eagerness to honour her stemmed from a shared ideological affinity with those critical of India. Continuing his attack, he said that for a party rejected by Indian voters, it made sense for Congress to seek validation from those who shared its prejudices and hostility towards India’s interests. Malviya also targeted Rahul Gandhi, alleging that he and his associates had found ideological allies abroad. “Good luck to them, because the country has clearly moved on,” he remarked.