Whereas travelling overseas, particularly to the US, Congress chief Rahul Gandhi by no means forgets to pack his diatribes. He then fastidiously unpacks and unleashes them towards the Prime Minister, the BJP and the RSS. He hasn’t forgotten to do the identical throughout this US go to too. However what’s totally different this time round is that Rahul Gandhi is the Chief of the Opposition (LoP) within the Lok Sabha. His phrases carry added weight and present the Opposition’s place.
In query are two of his remarks and a gathering.
The BJP has accused the Congress chief of “working down India on overseas soil” and identified that that is notably “regarding” as a result of he’s the Chief of the Opposition (LoP) within the Lok Sabha. Rahul Gandhi met a controversial anti-India lawmaker, and his remarks had been hijacked by a Khalistani terrorist to justify his trigger.
Whereas talking at an occasion in Herndon, Virginia, on Monday, Rahul tried to speak in regards to the non secular freedom of minorities in India, giving a factually incorrect argument.
“The struggle (in India) is about whether or not a Sikh goes to be allowed to put on a turban…whether or not a Sikh might be allowed to put on a kara or go to the gurdwara. That is what the struggle is about, and it is not only for Sikhs, however for all religions,” he mentioned.
That Sikhs can proudly put on a dastar (turban), a kara (metal bangle) and carry a kirpan (non secular dagger) wherever in India is a reality. Kirpans are allowed on home flights when even small toy knives from kitchen units are confiscated at airports.
He confronted backlash from the BJP and the Sikh neighborhood, who mentioned they proudly wore a turban in India and the one time they confronted an existential risk was in 1984, in the course of the anti-Sikh pogrom when Congress was in energy.
PANNUN USES RAHUL REMARKS TO JUSTIFY KHALISTAN CLAIMS
Khalistani terrorist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun latched on to Rahul’s comment, saying that his “daring and pioneering” speech “justified” the requires a Khalistani state.
Congress tried to clarify that Rahul Gandhi made the remarks in a broader context.
“Saying that we have to defend the rights of a Sikh to have the liberty to put on his turban symbolically challenges the BJP narrative towards hijab or ‘they are often recognised by their garments’ sort of feedback of the PM or the assaults on Muslim-looking individuals in public locations,” Pawan Khera, Chairman of Congress’s media and publicity division, instructed India At this time Digital.
On being requested if the remarks hadn’t given ammunition to anti-India components like Pannun, the Congress chief mentioned, “It’s an amusing thriller that at any time when it fits the BJP, such components mysteriously difficulty statements.”
BJP chief and Union Residence Minister Amit Shah on Wednesday slammed Rahul Gandhi over his “anti-national statements”.
“Standing with forces that conspire to divide the nation and making anti-national statements have develop into a behavior for Rahul Gandhi and the Congress occasion,” mentioned Shah.
INDIA NOT A FAIR PLACE, SAYS RAHUL GANDHI
The opposite Rahul Gandhi assertion that has been perceived as a criticism of India on overseas soil was the one on reservations.
Whereas interacting with college students and school members of Georgetown College in Washington DC, he backed a pan-India caste census and for higher participation of the weaker sections in India’s establishments.
Elaborating on a query whether or not there have been higher methods to strengthen establishments on the grassroots degree than caste-based reservations, Rahul Gandhi mentioned, “We are going to consider scrapping reservations when India is a good place and India is just not a good place”.
No place, even the US, the place Rahul was making the assertion, is a “honest place”. Amongst others, there exists a giant racial and financial divide within the US. Any nation will be criticised for being unfair on numerous parameters. The one honest level to ask is that if a rustic is making an attempt to make itself a fairer place? India is, by means of optimistic discrimination.
Not simply his remarks, the BJP criticised Rahul Gandhi for assembly American lawmaker Ilhan Omar, who has an ideological bias towards India and has labored towards the nation’s pursuits.
“After spewing venom towards Sikhs and working down India on overseas soil, now Rahul Gandhi meets and engages with anti-India Ilhan Omar, who launched anti-India resolutions in US Congress and has been towards abrogation of Artwork 370,” BJP chief Shehzad Poonawalla mentioned on Wednesday.
BJP spokesperson and Rajya Sabha MP Sudhanshu Trivedi mentioned this was “regarding” as Rahul Gandhi was the LoP.
“Rahul Gandhi is thought for spewing anti-India venom, however what he has achieved this time is regarding. He turned the primary Chief of the Opposition to satisfy US MP Ilhan, who’s notorious for taking an anti-India stand,” mentioned Trivedi.
CAN THE LoP MAKE CRITICAL REMARKS ABROAD?
Rahul Gandhi’s remarks have added weight now as a result of he’s the LoP. The put up of the LoP, although not a constitutional, is a statutory one and has powers and tasks related to it.
A constitutional knowledgeable instructed India At this time Digital that there was no regulation barring Indians from criticising the nation whereas on overseas soil, however there exists an unwritten code for each citizen, which applies to the LoP as properly.
“There isn’t any statutory provision concerning what sort of remarks the Chief of the Opposition is allowed to make throughout overseas journeys,” says a constitutional knowledgeable who did not wish to be named due to the controversy surrounding Rahul Gandhi’s remarks.
“There may be an unwritten code that an Indian citizen should not converse towards the nation on overseas soil. The Chief of Opposition can also be sure by that code,” the knowledgeable provides.
Although Rahul Gandhi will need to have made the statements with the very best intentions in thoughts, they’ve triggered a large controversy, extra so as a result of they had been made within the US, a rustic that looses no event to poke the world on human rights. This time, the remarks have additionally been hijacked by a Khalistani terrorist to justify his anti-India trigger.
Good intentions simply do not suffice. They want presence of thoughts and sound recommendation to throw up the very best outcomes.