 "Rahul Gandhi speaking the language of anti-India forces, says Rijiju")
The BJP on Thursday launched a fresh salvo on Rahul Gandhi for his democracy remark, with Union Law Minister and party leader Kiren Rijiju alleging that the Congress leader was speaking the language of anti-India forces and a "gang" which had conspired to defame India.
Addressing a press conference here, Rijiju said people will question law makers if they don't condemn the act of a fellow MP and seek his apology on the floor of the House for the comments in London.
"We speak in the interest of the public, but all the anti-India forces and gang have the same language and line. The language spoken by Rahul Gandhi is the same language spoken by those working against India, conspired against India. He will have to apologise in Parliament. It is our duty to seek his apology," he said.
Responding to a question, the minister said if the Congress party feels there is nothing wrong in what he says then it does not deserve to represent the section of people in Parliament.
"If he dooms Congress through his acts, we have no interests in them. But he has no right to defame India through his words. We will not tolerate," he said.
Rijiju said everyone in the country is concerned and in national interest, nobody can afford to stay silent.
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"Anything related to the nation is a matter of concern for everyone. Nobody has the right to defame the country. People have rejected the Congress but it does not mean he can tarnish the nation abroad," he said.
The minister said Gandhi "lied" about India in London. First he said he was not allowed to speak in Parliament, which is totally "incorrect" as he spoke more than the allocated time and he spoke freely. Whatever he spoke had no substance, he maintained.
Secondly, Rijiju said, Gandhi said he was not allowed to speak in colleges and universities and such "lies" hurt the nation.
"This is also completely false. During his yatra, he spoke everyday multiple times, day and night, criticising the government. Gandhi is the most spoken person in the country," he said.
The minister said Gandhi is "hurting" the dignity of Parliament despite being its member and he has "insulted" the Constitution and judiciary. "But our judiciary is robust".
"Indians know what kind of personality he has. People of india don't take him seriously. But people abroad think he speaks the truth. Will Congress go to London and sweep floors to apologise. Our duty is to seek his apology," he said.
During an event in UK, Gandhi had alleged that the structures of Indian democracy are under attack and there is a "full-scale assault" on the country's institutions.
Asked about Prime Minister Narendra Modi's remarks made in foreign countries, he said the prime minister only spoke about the acts and deeds of the previous governments.
"Modi did not become PM on his own but due to the blessings of 140 crore people
Even the world acknowledges Modi's role in shaping the future of India," he said.
Rijiju said Rahul made completely "false" statements about the minority communities in India.
"Rahul said minorities are not safe in India. He said that minorities are second or third class citizens. Whatever he said is completely false. I belong to the minority community. We, the minorities, are living in India freely without facing any difficulty," he said.
(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)