Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Friday strongly criticised Congress leader and Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi over his recent remarks on Prime Minister Narendra Modi and India's foreign policy, calling them "extremely low-level" and "condemnable". Singh said the comments had caused him "immense pain" and warned that such conduct was a serious concern for the health of India's democracy.
Recalling his long political career, Singh said he had never witnessed a LoP engage in such conduct, citing former leaders including Sushma Swaraj, Arun Jaitley, Atal Bihari Vajpayee and LK Advani, as well as Congress leaders such as Manmohan Singh and Sonia Gandhi.
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He maintained that political differences and resentment towards the prime minister cannot justify what he described as "indecent remarks". Such language, he added, was "utterly unacceptable", particularly when directed at a prime minister whom he credited with elevating India's stature globally and advancing the country's development ambitions.
The defence minister also questioned whether the Congress could claim the legacy of its historic leaders after Gandhi's remarks. He invoked figures including Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, Subhas Chandra Bose, Rajendra Prasad, Lal Bahadur Shastri, PV Narasimha Rao and Pranab Mukherjee.
He accused Rahul Gandhi of not only insulting PM Modi but also India's international reputation, while undermining the dignity associated with the office of Leader of Opposition.
