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NEW DELHI: Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju criticised the Leader of Opposition (LoP) in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, for his remarks on China and accused him of praising the country more than a Chinese spokesperson.
Rijiju also called for an apology from Rahul Gandhi, suggesting he take responsibility for the land China took from India during the 1959 and 1962 conflicts, when his grandfather, Jawaharlal Nehru, was Prime Minister.
The minister further warned that any unsubstantiated remarks by the LoP should be authenticated, or appropriate action should be taken to uphold the dignity of the Parliament.
Rijiju highlighted that during Rahul Gandhi’s speech, the Speaker of the Lok Sabha had asked the opposition leader four times to authenticate his claims, but the LoP spoke without providing necessary substantiation and left the House.
Speaking in the Lok Sabha, Kiren Rijiju said, “When the Leader of Opposition (Rahul Gandhi) was speaking today, the Speaker also said 4 times that he should authenticate his claims. But he spoke and left. LoP is a responsible post and they should present their statements with thoughtfulness. If we take Rahul Gandhi’s statement lightly, then in future too, any LoP would come and say whatever they feel like and leave. He should authenticate what he said otherwise the Chair should take action.”
Referring to Rahul Gandhi’s speech, “Today, the LoP praised China more than a Chinese spokesperson. Rahul Gandhi should apologize for all the land China took away in 1959 and 1962 because his grandfather Jawaharlal Nehru was the PM then.”
“This is the Parliament of India and we will not tolerate any insult to India in our Parliament,” he added.
BJP MP Nishikant Dubey also launched a scathing attack on Rahul Gandhi in the Lok Sabha, accusing him of conspiring to divide the country with the support of foreign powers.
In his speech, Dubey claimed that Rahul Gandhi had misrepresented key issues related to India’s economic policies and spread falsehoods about India’s manufacturing sector.
He cited trade agreements signed under the Congress-led UPA government, alleging they had weakened domestic industries and benefited China.
“During P Chidambaram’s tenure as Commerce Minister, India had initially signed ITA 1 with only 14 countries, with China not being a part of the agreement. However, under pressure from the European Union, the then government had signed an agreement that granted zero per cent duty on all Chinese products, including toys, gadgets, and their accessories,” the BJP MP claimed.
Dubey accused the previous government of “selling out the country” by signing this deal, which he argued harmed India’s manufacturing sector and benefited China.
He further stated that after 2014, under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership, India chose not to join ITA 2, aligning with the government’s “Make In India” initiative aimed at boosting domestic manufacturing and reducing dependence on Chinese imports.
Dubey further challenged Rahul Gandhi to provide proof that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had not supported the growth of India’s manufacturing sector or had failed to foster competition with China in the present day.
He demanded that Gandhi authenticate his claims or apologise to the nation for damaging the image of the Prime Minister. “If you cannot authenticate your statements, then apologize to the country for the lies you’ve spread and the harm you’ve caused to the nation’s credibility,” Dubey concluded.
Dubey also accused Rahul Gandhi of acting as a representative of China.
These remarks came after Rahul Gandhi, while participating in the debate on the motion of thanks to the President’s Address on Monday, alleged that the Modi government’s ‘Make In India’ initiative has failed to revive it and the share of manufacturing in GDP has come down from 15.3 per cent of GDP in 2014 to 12.6 per cent, which is lowest in the past 60 years.
Rahul Gandhi also pitched for a caste census, suggesting applying artificial intelligence (AI) to such data would lead to a lot of possibilities.
Gandhi, who spoke in detail on the need to boost manufacturing, spoke about competition from China and said India has an opportunity with the revolution in energy and mobility.
He said China has been working on batteries, robots, motors, and optics for the last ten years, and it has at least a ten-year lead on India in this space.
“Although China is 10 years ahead, we can catch up with the right vision. An INDIA government would realign education, enlist experts, widely spread finance, and align our trade and foreign policies. Production is also the foundation of our national security. In a world where wars are not fought between armies but between industrial systems, our dependence on Chinese imports like motors and batteries puts us at risk,” he added.
The Congress leader said, “India has handed its consumption data to the big American companies and the production data we don’t have anyway”.
Noting that wars are fought not only between armies but by industrial systems, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Monday alleged that “China is sitting inside this country because ‘Make in India’ has failed” and said that India has an opportunity with the revolution in energy and mobility.
Participating in the debate on the motion of thanks on the President’s Address, Rahul Gandhi said that the Prime Minister has denied that Chinese forces are inside our territory “but for some reason, our Army keeps talking to Chinese about their entry into our territory and Chief of Army Staff has said that the Chinese are inside our territory.”
His remarks were met with strong opposition by BJP members, and Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla asked him to substantiate his allegations.
Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju also accused Gandhi of speaking lies and said “frivolous language” does not suit the position Rahul Gandhi holds.
