New Delhi: The BJP’s brazen attack on Congress over remarks made by Rahul Gandhi in the UK earlier this month continued Monday, with Union Minister Hardeep Puri taking the lead, asking Rahul to “clarify his agenda behind defaming India and seeking help from a foreign country”.
Meanwhile, a tussle between the two parties over the UK speech row led to Rajya Sabha proceedings being adjourned for the 10th time since the second leg of the Budget session of Parliament began.
Speaking at a press conference in Delhi, Puri, who is minister of petroleum and natural gas as well as housing and urban affairs, demanded that Rahul “apologise unambiguously”.
Asked to comment on the Congress’s claims that Rahul is “not (V. D.) Savarkar”, the BJP leader said: “…to get an ass to run a horse’s race…maine angrezi mein kuch kaha aap samajh lijiye (I have said it in English, please understand what I have said)…there is no comparison between Rahul Gandhi and Savarkar.”
This came a day after the Congress tweeted a photo of Rahul in the driving seat of a car, referencing Savarkar.
सावरकर समझा क्या… नाम- राहुल गांधी है pic.twitter.com/QFGsAJSxeo
— Congress (@INCIndia) March 19, 2023
Puri also questioned Rahul over his remarks on China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) during an interaction in the UK. “Look what he said on China, Rahul Gandhi hails China Belt and Road Initiative as a visionary step. Does he know that China BRI goes through POK (Pakistan-occupied Kashmir)? Does he realise that he should know what is Indian territory?”
He further said: “We are the world’s oldest democracy but Mr Gandhi goes to the UK and says Indian democracy is facing an attack on the basic structure. If an individual goes outside the country, he can speak but it comes with responsibility. He is saying media, judiciary’s institutions are facing threat in India. Without any objectivity he is making allegations.”
Over the past week, the ruckus over Rahul Gandhi’s statements made in the UK has led to adjournments in both houses of Parliament, with the BJP yet to scale down its attack.
On Monday, minutes after proceedings began, Lok Sabha opposition members stormed the well of the house, following which the Speaker Om Birla adjourned the session. Meanwhile, the treasury bench continued to demand an apology from Rahul and sloganeering continued after the first adjournment, which led to adjournment for the day.
Outside Parliament, Congress leaders claimed that the “obstructions” in the house came on the “prime minister’s signal”. Party MP Pramod Tiwari while speaking to reporters asked why the BJP is “scared” of a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) being set up to look into the Adani-Hindenburg matter.
Meanwhile, Congress president and Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge said Rahul has requested the Speaker to give him a chance to speak in the house and clarify his stand. However, sources in the government told ThePrint that without his apology, allowing Rahul to “reiterate his points” in Parliament, knowing “past experiences”, was “out of the question”.
In the last few days, several BJP leaders have taken turns at targeting the Wayanad MP, ranging from Kiren Rijiju, Anurag Thakur, Smriti Irani, Piyush Goyal to J P Nadda and Pralhad Joshi. BJP sources told ThePrint it is the party’s strategy to not dial down its aggression against Congress ahead of the Karnataka assembly elections.
This comes at a time when campaigning is heating up in the crucial southern state. Party sources said there are no key bills on the agenda of the house and the government is “ready to sacrifice a few days of business but the bottom line is clear — it does not want the Adani narrative to travel at the time of elections”.
‘When your own credentials are in question…’
At the press conference, Puri said that Rahul Gandhi had “compared the Indian Union with the European Union”.
“If you do not understand how European Union came into force…these are independent states…but to compare them to Indian states…We are the world’s largest democracy, we are the oldest democracy. What is his objective? It’s not his flawed understanding, he is playing agenda…apology should come unequivocally…”
The Union minister also asked what was the “objective” behind Rahul’s “asking the UK to effect change in the Indian Union”.
“What is the objective of the leader of the main opposition party to go around saying that Indian democracy is under brutal attack? Addressing audiences abroad in US and UK, he turns around and tells them you please do something, not realising that there are enough mavericks in the crowd who will say things about India without understanding anything…,” he added.
Puri then went on to speak about Indira Gandhi’s government: “It was Congress under Indira Gandhi’s regime, when civil liberties were curbed…it was the Indira Gandhi government that curbed civil liberties during Emergency. His (Rahul’s) grandmother invoked Article 356 more than 50 times to suspend and dismiss legitimate government.”
He also mentioned the Congress government under Manmohan Singh. “In 2009, even during Manmohan Singh’s government, Section 66A was inserted into the Information Technology Act, threatening people’s freedom of expression, which was later struck down by Supreme Court in 2015. What they are talking about freedom of expression, when your own credentials are in question to curb civil liberties (sic),” he added.
Puri also took a dig at Congress leader Jairam Ramesh, referring to him prompting Rahul at a press conference last week, saying: “His tutor also needs to provide qualification…”
(Edited by Gitanjali Das)
Also read: ‘Defamatory remarks on Nehru family’ — Congress calls for privilege proceedings against Modi in RS