Priyanka Gandhi’s statements reaffirm Rahul Gandhi’s patriotic credentials and assert that the judiciary cannot determine who qualifies as a “true Indian.”
NEW DELHI — Following the Supreme Court’s curt remarks on Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi’s remarks on the Army and Chinese intrusion in India, Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Tuesday rallied behind her brother saying it does not fall within the purview of the judges of the top court to decide who is a true Indian.
She said her brother has the highest respect for the Army and will never say anything against it. As the leader of opposition in the Lok Sabha, it is Rahul Gandhi‘s duty to ask questions of the government, the Wayanad MP said, reports PTI.
The Supreme Court on Monday stayed the proceedings against Gandhi before a Lucknow court over his remarks about the Army during his December 2022 Bharat Jodo Yatra. The top court, however, censured the Congress leader, saying if he is a true Indian, he would not say such a thing.
Asked about the top court’s observations, Priyanka Gandhi told reporters at the Parliament House complex, “With due respect to the honourable judges of the Supreme Court, they do not decide who is a true Indian. It is the job of the opposition leader, it is his duty to ask questions and to challenge the government.”
“My brother would never say anything against the Army. He holds the Army in the highest respect. So it is a misinterpretation (of his remarks),” she said.
Meanwhile, Congress leader and former chief minister of Rajastha Ashok Gehlot has also expressed his strong support to Rahul Gandhi saying that Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha did not share any confidential information and that all details cited were already available in the public domain.
In a post on X, Gehlot wrote, “Rahul Gandhi has not shared any classified data. Information about Chinese intrusion and the Galwan clash, where 20 Indian soldiers were martyred, is already accessible through the Internet and reliable media sources. Reports of China occupying around 2,000 kilometres of Indian territory are widely documented.”
“Even the BJP-led central government has officially acknowledged the martyrdom of our soldiers during Chinese aggression. Rahul Gandhi’s statement was an appeal to the government for appropriate action,” Gehlot said.
“Who can be a bigger patriot than Rahul Gandhi? Information about Chinese intrusion is available on the Internet, he did not share any confidential information,” he said.
Sonam Wangchuk, a famous social activist of Ladakh, has also been expressing concern about Chinese intrusion from time to time, Gehlot added.
“The BJP government at the Center has also accepted the martyrdom of our soldiers in Chinese aggression. Rahul Gandhi’s statement was in the form of an appeal to the government to take appropriate action on this issue.
“Since it was a burning issue at that time, the government itself should have come forward and discussed this topic in Parliament so that the country could be taken into confidence, but this did not happen,” he added.
“Rahul Gandhi’s grandmother and father sacrificed for the country, who comes as a bigger patriot than them?” Gehlot wrote.
“The biggest form of patriotism is to sacrifice your life for the country. Rahul Gandhi’s father Rajiv Gandhi and his grandmother Indira Gandhi sacrificed their lives for the sake of India. Rahul Gandhi did the work of putting the problems of the common people of the country in front of the government by marching for around 4,000 kilometres. Who can be a bigger patriot than him,” he questioned.
The BJP on Monday took a swipe at Rahul Gandhi, saying he has vowed to “strengthen China”, while the Congress asserted that every patriotic Indian has sought answers since the Galwan incident but the government has chosen to “obfuscate” the truth with its policy of “DDLJ — deny, distract, lie, and justify”. — Agencies
