Union minister Anurag Thakur hit out at Rahul Gandhi for his remarks seeking intervention from the US and European nations over "disappearing" democracy in India and asked the Congress leader not to betray the country.
"Don't betray India, Rahul Gandhi ji. The objections to India's foreign policy is an evidence of your scant understanding of the issue. No one will believe the lies you spread about India from foreign soil," Thakur told reporters here, describing the Congress leader as "vivadon ki andhi" (storm of controversies).
Speaking at a function in London, Gandhi alleged that the structures of Indian democracy were under "brutal attack" and regretted that democratic parts of the world, including the US and Europe, have failed to notice it.
"His party had done it earlier, when it took local issues to the United Nations, and now to ask other countries to intervene in India. They have not yet come out of the thought of slavery," the information and broadcasting minister said.
Thakur said Gandhi has resorted to "maligning India" from foreign soil as part of a conspiracy to hide his failures.
BJP's IT department head Amit Malviya said, "Rahul Gandhi is not just delusional but devious in a mutilated manner. His ideas are dangerous for India's sovereignty."
Thakur said, "Rahul Gandhi has become a storm of controversies. Be it foreign agencies, foreign channels or be it foreign soil. He does not lose a single opportunity to malign India."
"His language, his thoughts, his style of functioning. Everything is suspect. This is not the first time, he has done it time and again. When the COVID-19 pandemic struck, he raised questions on India's vaccines," Thakur said.
The former Congress president also raised questions on the armed forces when the Chinese tried to encroach Indian territory, Thakur said, alleging that he (Gandhi), indeed, met officials from China.
"When our soldiers were martyred, he said they were killed by a car bomb. Is this the manner in which Rahul Gandhi thinks about the armed forces? Sometimes to malign our soldiers, he says they were slapped. What all he says," Thakur said.
The senior BJP leader said the Congress can be so weak but India is not. "Why should he ask the US to intervene? I would only say that India's democracy is strong, people are strong and the armed forces too are strong. India has a leadership that is strong and farsighted and world leaders have said they believe in India and they trust Modi," the minister said.
He said Gandhi was out on bail in a corruption case and has "lost trust in constitutional bodies".
Debate all issues in Parliament: Congress
Countering the BJP's latest attack on Rahul Gandhi for his remarks in the UK, the Congress on Monday said if the ruling party has problems with what the former AICC chief said, then it should debate all such issues in Parliament.
The Congress also alleged that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said the "most obnoxious things" and has always spoken against India's political leaders.
The Congress' attack came after Union Minister Anurag Thakur alleged that in his remarks in the UK, Gandhi sought the intervention of the US and European nations over "disappearing" democracy in India.
Asked about the BJP's criticism, Congress spokesperson Supriya Shrinate alleged that Prime Minister Modi has said "the most obnoxious things" on foreign soil.
"From Seoul to Shanghai, Moscow, Toronto, the US, Abu Dhabi and Oman, wherever he (the PM) has travelled, he has always spoken against India's political leaders... In Shanghai on Chinese soil, he has said things like 'nothing happened in 70 years'. He has demeaned India's freedom struggle, he has demeaned the institutions that we have built, he has demeaned an average Indian, who works very hard and contributes to nation building," Shrinate charged.
Hitting out at Thakur, Shrinate claimed he was promoted to a Cabinet minister because of his "venomous hate speeches".
"I want to ask him (Thakur) that when Rahul Gandhi talks about a world which is divided between America and China on two sides, and India can be a huge power with its democratic values and the values of Mahatma Gandhi, is he defaming India or he is actually lauding India's values," she said.
"When Rahul Gandhi says on foreign soil, on British soil that Indian democracy is a public good, I think, we should be very proud of it. Instead, the BJP is finding facts to criticise it. What exactly is their position and what do they have to say about the various statements that Mr Modi has made," she asked.
"The BJP has issues with what Rahul ji has said, let us debate every issue in India's Parliament. Are you (BJP) willing to debate every issue in India's Parliament? Are you willing to come forward and say that when Mr Gandhi speaks about Adani, we will answer on Adani; when he speaks about high prices, we will not say 'We don't eat garlic, onion' ... I challenge you. They cannot debate these issues," Shrinate said.
