The Congress on Tuesday said that it was Prime Minister Narendra Modi who “insulted” India on foreign soil after the BJP accused Congress vice-president, Rahul Gandhi, of disrespecting PM Modi in his speech at a US university.
“We are surprised at the criticism that is unwarranted and unjustified made by the government and ruling party. The statements and issues raised by Union Information and Broadcasting Minister (Smriti Irani) show ignorance of history and her eagerness to be an apologist for the Prime Minister (Narendra Modi),” Congress leader, Anand Sharma, said.
“Rahul Gandhi spoke about India’s achievements in the last 70 years. We understand why BJP is criticising him. If Rahul Gandhi is criticising the Prime Minister of the country, no one should have any objection to that. It’s a feature of democracy,” he added.
At a press conference on Tuesday, Irani criticised Gandhi’s speech at the University of California, Berkeley, and said the Congress vice president chose to belittle the Prime Minister.
She also said Rahul Gandhi chose a “platform of convenience to berate his political opponents” after failing to connect with Indians.
“It is the Prime Minister of India who is guilty of insulting India on international soil. The Prime Minister called the country corrupt on his first visit abroad and also said on another occasion that Indians used to feel ashamed to accept they are Indian on international soil,” Sharma said.
He said it was a part of the ruling BJP’s intolerance towards criticism.
“It is the streak of intolerance towards criticism by BJP and the present government,” he stated.
