The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Tuesday continued its tirade against Congress leader Rahul Gandhi for his recent comments in the UK on India’s democracy and accused him of seeking foreign intervention in the country’s affairs and of being influenced by the ‘Maoist’ thought process. The ruling party also asked Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and his predecessor Sonia Gandhi to make their stand clear on Gandhi’s remarks.
“Do you support this irresponsible and shameful comment of Rahul Gandhi that America and Europe must intervene in India to restore democracy? Mr Kharge, BJP wants to know, do you support Rahul’s comments? If you don’t, then disown him. Madam Sonia ji, the BJP would also like to urge you, to make your stand very clear, where do you stand in the face of this utterly irresponsible comment of your son?” senior BJP leader and former Union minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said at a press conference in Delhi.
He said that no matter which party is in the ruling, India has always opposed any foreign power interfering in its internal affairs, and alleged that Gandhi has put to shame the whole of India and its 140 crore citizens who take pride in Indian democracy.
Last week, Gandhi, who is on a week-long visit to the UK, lashed out at the BJP government back home and alleged that the structures of Indian democracy were under “brutal attack”. He also regretted that the “so-called defenders of democracy, which are the United States and the European countries, seemed to be oblivious that a large chunk of the democratic model has come under attack.”
Prasad said, “The BJP would like to state with great agony that Mr Rahul Gandhi has brought utter shame to India…It is our clear conviction that Mr Rahul Gandhi is completely in the group of Maoist and Marxist thought process. Otherwise, how will someone say something like this?”
The BJP leader also accused Gandhi of venting his personal angst on foreign land by falsely accusing India. “What happens to you on foreign land?” he asked Gandhi.
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Prasad also accused former defence minister AK Anthony of keeping a policy of not making border infrastructure ‘strong’ to favour China. “This was his stand. And today, look at Prime Minister Modi. From Ladakh to Arunachal Pradesh, the infrastructure, roads and bridges, all have made the Army’s movements smooth.”
“This is called self-respect. How much Rahul Gandhi knows about Internal security is debatable” he said. “If the people of the country and the country have failed you and your party, don’t vent this angst on foreign soil,” Prasad added.
Rejecting the BJP’s allegations that he was maligning India’s image abroad, Gandhi on Saturday said, “I have never defamed my country, I’m not interested in it, I will never do it. The BJP likes to twist what I say.”
