Assam Finance Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Thursday said Congress President Rahul Gandhi was no longer fit to be in politics and called on the Opposition party to give him a “decent retirement”, PTI reported. Gandhi was “thrust on the Congress” by United Progressive Alliance chairperson Sonia Gandhi, the Bharatiya Janata Party leader added.

The BJP-led National Democratic Alliance is headed for a landslide victory in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. Trends showed that the ruling party is leading in more than 340 seats, compared to 90 for the UPA.

“I must have met him [Rahul] around 20 times in my life...I feel pity for him,” Sarma said. “Sonia Gandhi has thrust him on the Congress. He is a person who has come from a privileged background, he does not respect his colleagues.”

If Gandhi does not quit politics, India will no longer have an Opposition, the minister said. “He [Rahul] should be given a decent retirement because if he does not quit politics, then in India the next 25 years will be dominated by the ruling party [BJP] and there won’t be any Opposition, and there would only be BJP and Modi.”

The BJP leader said any elected Congress president without a dynastic background would be a better fit than Gandhi.

Sarma also lashed out at West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, and claimed that her days in politics were numbered. “The days of Mamata Banerjee are now numbered and this massive win will lead to the ultimate fall of Mamata in the next 100 days,” he said.

According to the numbers, the BJP’s vote share in West Bengal has risen dramatically, and it is set to win at least 18 out of 42 Lok Sabha seats, while the ruling Trinamool Congress is on course to win 22 constituencies. A few seats went to the Trinamool because it resorted to rigging and intimidation tactics, Sarma alleged.

The Assam minister said the BJP had done well in the North East because of Prime Minister Modi’s development projects in the region.