Manas Dasgupta
NEW DELHI, Dec 17: The former Congress president Rahul Gandhi was under severe attack, both from the BJP and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Saturday. The BJP demanded his “expulsion” from the Congress for “insulting” the Indian army while the AAP slammed him for blaming it for the Congress party’s poor show in the just-concluded Gujarat state Assembly elections.
A day after Rahul Gandhi said Chinese soldiers were “beating up jawans in Arunachal Pradesh,” the BJP leaders condemned his statement as “belittling India and breaking the morale of the armed forces” and demanded his expulsion from the Congress.
BJP spokesperson Gaurav Bhatia said if Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge was not “remote-controlled” he should expel Gandhi from the party since his comments “belittle” India and break the morale of its armed forces when every citizen of the country were proud of the Indian soldiers who actually beat up the Chinese and chased them away.
“They are doing full preparation by Ladakh and Arunachal, it is a full offensive preparation. The government of India is sleeping. It does not want to hear this, but they are preparing not for an incursion, but for war. If anyone understands this – you look at the pattern of their weapons and what they are doing, they are preparing for war. Our government hides this and is unable to accept this,” Rahul Gandhi had said. Gandhi further said China has “taken 2,000 square kilometres of India, which martyred 20 Indian jawans, and beat up jawans in Arunachal Pradesh.”
If Congress does not take action against Gandhi, it will mean that his statement is reflective of the opposition party’s mindset, Bhatia said. He further alleged that the party has become less of a political party and more of a den of anti-India activities. Bhatia also said “it is no longer the India of 1962 as its brave soldiers also have a strong political leadership under Modi”, adding that “not even an inch of Indian territory was captured by anyone” in the last eight years.
Union Minister for Law and Justice Kiren Rijiju said Gandhi has become a “huge embarrassment for the country” as well as a problem for the Congress. He also wrote, “Gandhi is not only insulting Indian Army but damaging nation’s image.” Rijiju, who represents Arunachal Pradesh in Lok Sabha, shared an old picture of Yangste where he is seen standing with uniformed soldiers, Mr. Rijiju said on Twitter, “Yangtse area in Tawang, Arunachal Pradesh is fully secured now due to adequate deployment of the brave jawans of Indian Army.”
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh commended the Indian Army for showing unmatched bravery at Galwan Valley clash and now again at Tawang. Mr. Singh asserted that India has no intention to capture the land of other countries, but will always be ready if anyone tries to cast an evil eye. He was addressing the 95th Annual Convention of Federation of Indian Commerce and Industry (FICCI). He said India aims to become a superpower which works for the welfare of the world.
Mr. Singh also took an indirect dig at Congress leader Rahul Gandhi for “doubting” the government’s handling of the border row with China. “Any amount of praise is not enough for the armed forces for the way they displayed bravery and valour, be it in Galwan or Tawang…We have never questioned the intention of any leader in the opposition, we have only debated on the basis of policies. Politics should be based on truth. Politics cannot be done on the basis of falsehood for a long time,” the minister said.
The BJP President JP Nadda also spoke out against Gandhi’s statements on China. “Rahul Gandhi’s statement works to demoralise our Army; no matter how much it is condemned, it is less. Indian army is a symbol of bravery and valour. We know that the Communist Party of China had signed MoU with the Congress party,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann reacted sharply to Rahul Gandhi’s remarks that AAP played a big role in Congress’ poor show in the recently-concluded Gujarat Assembly elections. “How many times did Rahul Gandhi visit Gujarat? Only once, he wanted to win the election with a single visit to the state,” Mr Mann said launching a scathing attack on the Congress MP who is currently leading his party’s ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’ through the country.
“Elections were held where the sun is set (Gujarat), Rahul Gandhi started his ‘padyatra’ from the place where the sun rises first (Kanyakumari). Let him correct his timing first,” he said. “Congress is not about change, it’s all about exchange,” Mr Mann said.
He accused the Congress MLAs of crossing over to the rival parties. “The party has become so poor that it sell its MLAs to the rival parties to form government when they lack numbers. The party is in coma,” Mr Mann said. “Congress made government in Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh. But the BJP is currently ruling both the states” he said.