India, Nov. 7 -- A remark by Jharkhand health minister Irfan Ansari that 40 lakh young people are ready to take to the streets whenever Rahul Gandhi gives the signal, and that the resulting unrest could be worse than what Bangladesh and Nepal witnessed, has triggered a sharp political row. The BJP called the comment part of the Congress's "anarchy toolkit", and Union Home Minister Amit Shah joined the attack.

Ansari, a senior Congress leader who holds the health portfolio in Jharkhand, made the claim in remarks that quickly travelled beyond the state. The BJP said the statement amounted to incitement and fitted a pattern in Congress politics that, in the ruling party's account, weakens democratic processes and encourages mob rule.

The B...