The Aryavarth Express
New Delhi [India], February 2: Congress MP Vamsi Krishna Gaddam on Monday came out in strong support of Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi following heated exchanges in the Lok Sabha, accusing the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of selectively targeting the Congress while preventing Gandhi from expressing his views on India–China border tensions.
Speaking to ANI, Gaddam alleged that the ruling party routinely brands the Congress as anti-national while selectively recalling historical events to suit its political narrative.
“This is very typical of the BJP. They accuse Congress members of being anti-national. The Prime Minister repeatedly cites decisions taken decades ago to blame Jawaharlal Nehru for today’s situation,” Gaddam said.
He claimed that when Rahul Gandhi attempted to discuss past developments related to the India–China border issue and decisions taken during earlier standoffs, he was repeatedly interrupted in the House.
“But when our Leader of Opposition tried to narrate what happened in the past during tensions on the China–India border and refer to decisions taken by Rajnath Singh, the House became tense,” he said.
Gaddam further alleged that senior BJP leaders disrupted Rahul Gandhi’s speech and did not allow him to complete his argument.
“Amit Shah, Kiren Rijiju, and even Defence Minister Rajnath Singh stood up and stopped our LoP from speaking and putting forward his point,” he added.
Targeting BJP MP Tejasvi Surya, Gaddam accused the ruling party of selectively highlighting events.
“Tejasvi Surya spoke about the success of Operation Sindoor but ignored the fact that after the Red Fort attack following the operation, there was no discussion by the BJP. This shows selective amnesia. Our LoP is standing for the truth, and the BJP is unable to accept it,” he said.
The remarks came amid disruptions in the Lok Sabha during the discussion on the Motion of Thanks to the President’s Address in the ongoing Budget Session. The uproar began after Rahul Gandhi attempted to quote from a magazine article referencing excerpts from an unpublished memoir of former Army Chief General M.M. Naravane while discussing the India–China standoff.
The ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA) objected to the reference, with Defence Minister Rajnath Singh stating that material from an unpublished book could not be cited in the House. Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla upheld the objection, ruling that unpublished material was not permissible under parliamentary rules.
The standoff led to repeated interruptions lasting nearly 30 minutes, with opposition members demanding that Rahul Gandhi be allowed to speak, while treasury bench members insisted that parliamentary rules be followed. Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav later supported Gandhi, stating that issues related to China were sensitive and deserved discussion.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah also intervened as proceedings continued amid disruptions before the House moved ahead.
