Refuting BJP allegations, Rahul Gandhi on his way to the Parliament today said that he did not give any anti-national statement in London.
When asked by NDTV, if he would respond to the claims and allegations of the ruling BJP in the parliament that Gandhi's remarks were insulting to the nation, Rahul said, "I will speak inside the House if they allow me to." During his interactions in the UK, Gandhi alleged that the structures of Indian democracy are under attack and there is a "full-scale assault" on the country's institutions.
However, Rajya Sabha proceedings were adjourned for the fourth day on Thursday amid uproarious scenes with the opposition and treasury benches shouting slogans. The BJP has been attacking Congress and Gandhi over remarks during his recent trip to the United Kingdom, with both Houses failing to transact any significant business on the first four days of the Budget session's second half.
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The ruling party demanded an apology from Gandhi for his critical remarks about the government. However, ruling out the possibility of an apology, Congress President Mallikarjuna Kharge rebutted the BJP claims saying, "I want to ask those who are seeking an apology that Modiji went to five-six countries and there he (Modi) humiliated our country saying it was a sin to be born in India, now these people same people are curbing freedom of expression."
Amid the ongoing political storm, senior BJP leader Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi Thursday said a "deliberate disinformation drive" against Parliament, constitutional institutions, and democratic values is being carried out "not by chance but by choice".
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Hitting directly at the Gandhi family, Naqvi said a "sinister conspiracy" by the "democratically defeated dynasty" in the country and "anti-India coterie" in some foreign countries, "is not a coincidence, but an experiment". "The proprietors of privileged politics" are distressed due to Modi’s "politics of performance", he said.
The former Congress president also told British parliamentarians in London that microphones are often "turned off" in the Lok Sabha when an opposition member raises important issues.
In the political slugfest, with the BJP accusing Gandhi of maligning India on foreign soil and seeking foreign intervention, Congress hit back at the ruling party by citing instances of Prime Minister Narendra Modi raising internal politics abroad and hinting at the alarming status of democracy in India.
(With PTI inputs)
