NEW DELHI: The BJP on Monday slammed Rahul Gandhi for making “false and objectionable” claims in the Lok Sabha and said the Leader of Opposition displayed his love for China by taking the name of the country 35 times in his speech.
It also hit out at former Congress president Sonia Gandhi and hoped that the Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar will take cognisance of the breach of privilege notice given by the tribal BJP members against her on Monday for using “derogatory and slanderous” words against President Droupadi Murmu recently in the Parliament complex.
Speaking during a debate on the Motion of Thanks to the President’s address, Gandhi said an INDIA bloc government would not have sent its foreign minister to the US to seek an invite for the prime minister to attend the American president’s “coronation.”
His remarks evoked a sharp response from the BJP, which accused him of resorting to “falsehood.”
During his speech, the leader of the opposition in the Lok Sabha also claimed that Prime Minister Narendra Modi denied that Chinese forces were inside Indian territory, while the Army disagreed with him.
He also alleged that about 70 lakh voters, equivalent to the population of Himachal Pradesh, were added to the electoral rolls in Maharashtra between the Lok Sabha and the state assembly polls and demanded the Election Commission furnish data to the opposition parties in the state.
Reacting sharply to Gandhi’s remarks, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju said, “How could you say that the external affairs minister had visited the US to get an invite for the Prime Minister? How could you say, out of the figment of your imagination, that the army chief rejected the prime minister’s statement?”
He slammed Gandhi for raising questions on the credibility of the country’s poll process and the Election Commission by making “baseless” claims.
“He is the leader of the opposition. With such childishness and lies, he is actually lowering his own dignity and the dignity of his position as well. He keeps talking nonsense,” the minister told reporters.
Rijiju also said that Gandhi could say what he wants, but he must keep in mind the image of the country and the dignity of the prime minister’s post.
“Rahul Gandhi will have to follow the rules of Parliament,” he said, indicating that the treasury benches may seek action against the Leader of the Opposition for “misleading” the House with his “lies.”
“We know he can’t authenticate what he said (in the Lok Sabha) because it’s false,” he said.
BJP MP and party national spokesperson Sambit Patra noted that Gandhi took the name of China as many as 35 times in his speech in the Lok Sabha.
“I want to call him Rahul Jinping today. He took China’s name 35 times. This much love he has for China … I feel sometimes Rahul Gandhi must be wishing to be a Chinese in his next birth,” he said in a video statement on X.
He rejected Gandhi’s claim that China is way ahead in the manufacturing sector and India is lagging, asking him, “Who gave birth to such a kind of import system?”
During 10 years of the erstwhile Congress-led UPA rule, the trade deficit between China and India was the “highest,” he claimed.
“During the UPA regime, all banks were struggling with the problem of NPA and twin balance sheets. The Narendra Modi government provided loans to 51 crore people under the Mudra scheme without any collateral,” Patra said.
The BJP MPs, representing the scheduled tribe community, also submitted a separate breach of privilege notice to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on Monday, seeking action against Independent MP Pappu Yadav for his remarks on Murmu.
“It’s a matter of concern because the President of India is the de facto custodian of the Constitution, and the MPs have a right to move against those people who have tried to demean her with their remarks,” BJP MP Rajiv Pratap told PTI in the Parliament complex when asked for comment.
Any remark against the president is “unacceptable,” he said.
“So I am sure the speaker of Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha chairperson will definitely take cognisance of it,” Rudy added.
