Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Monday attacked Prime Minister Narendra Modi over allegations of fraud by the Adani Group, asking how references at the embattled tycoon made in a parliamentary speech could be seen as an insult to the prime minister.
Addressing party workers at Meenangadi in north Kerala’s Wayanad, his Lok Sabha constituency, Gandhi said that he did not use abusive language and yet parts of his Lok Sabha speech were expunged, but Modi’s speech remained on the record despite him insulting Gandhi’s parents and family.
“Modi thinks that he is very powerful and people will get scared of him. He doesn’t realise that the absolute last thing that I am scared of is Narendra Modi,” Gandhi said. “But one day he will be forced to face truth.”
“How can words or references against Ambani or Adani can be an insult to the PM? I failed to understand this,” he added.
The Congress MP asked party workers to watch videos of Parliament proceedings, and listen to his speech and that of PM Modi and compare the tone and body language of both.
In his February 7 speech during a discussion on the President’s speech in the Lower House, the former Congress chief drew links between official visits and the global gains made by the Adani Group, and demanded a joint parliamentary probe into allegations of fraud made by American firm Hindenburg Research.
But significant parts of his speech were expunged, and the Lok Sabha Secretariat sought his reply on the breach of privilege notice given against him by parliamentary affairs minister Pralhad Joshi and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) lawmaker Nishikant Dubey over “misleading, derogatory, unparliamentary and incriminatory statements.”
The Congress leader said his speech was based on “facts” and anyone could google the details about the questions he raised. He added that Modi did not provide answers to his questions, but only made “insulting statement on how I became Rahul Gandhi not Rahul Nehru.”
“My name was not given by me. Usually everyone takes the surname of their parents. He insulted me and my family and it was not removed from Parliament records, but parts of my speech were removed. It is unfair,” Gandhi claimed. “I am sure truth will come out one day.”
Speaking in the Rajya Sabha last Thursday, Modi had attacked the Nehru-Gandhi family. “If we miss out on mentioning Nehru anywhere, they (Congress) get upset. Nehru was such a great person, then why do none of them use the Nehru surname. Why do they fear using the Nehru surname?” he had said. To be sure, Jawaharlal Nehru’s daughter Indira was married to Feroze Gandhi and used his surname.
Referring to his speech in the Lower House last week, Gandhi said he was asked to show proof to back what he said in Parliament. “I have written to the Speaker with every single point they have removed and supporting proof,” he said. “But I don’t expect what I said in parliament will be on records.”
The BJP hit back at Gandhi, saying the Congress leader had a habit of making “wild allegations” against Modi. “Rahul Gandhi doesn’t have anything to say so he often raises wild allegations against the PM. It has become a habit for him,” said BJP leader S Suresh. “Let him produce evidence. Such allegations will not affect popularity of the PM.”
Earlier in the day, Gandhi handed over 25 houses built by his party to homeless people and visited the house of a tribal man who was found dead near Kozhikode medical college hospital two days ago. This was Gandhi’s first visit to his parliamentary constituency after completing the Bharat Jodo Yatra on January 30.
