NEW DELHI: Even as Parliament remained in limbo, action shifted outside on Thursday as BJP stuck to its demand for Rahul Gandhi’s apology for his “anti-India” rants on foreign soil with law minister Kiren Rijiju saying the Congress leader is “not above Parliament”.
On Thursday, before leaving for Parliament, Rijiju held a media briefing at his residence in which, he said Rahul Gandhi lied on foreign soil about not being allowed to speak in Parliament or having any freedom to talk outside and that the judiciary was not independent any more in the country. “The language spoken by him is the same language spoken by those working against India have conspired against India. He will have to apologise in Parliament. It is our duty to seek his apology,” Rijiju said.
The law minister said if Congress thinks there is nothing wrong in what Rahul has said then the party does not deserve to represent the people in Parliament.
“Anything related to the nation is a matter of concern for everyone. Nobody has the right to defame the country. People have rejected Congress but it does not mean he can tarnish the nation abroad,” Rijiju said.
The minister said Rahul Gandhi has always spoken in Parliament for more than his allotted time.
The law minister rejected references to conspiracy behind demanding apology and not letting Parliament transact business, saying “It’s not the government or BJP but the ‘anti-India gang’ that hatched a conspiracy where Gandhi went to London and spoke against India”.
Senior BJP leader Ravi Shankar Prasad, at another press conference, said, “Rahul Gandhi spoke today, but said nothing about his recent utterances seeking the intervention of Europe and America to save Indian democracy, which, he said is under threat.”
“He has habitually been trying to derail and demean Indian democracy. BJP will launch a country-wide campaign to expose how he had been trying to demean Indian institutions, including the judiciary and the press.”