Defense Minister Rajnath Singh on Sunday slammed Congress leader Rahul Gandhi for his “Chinese infiltration” claim and suggested Gandhi to think before making any statement, especially on sensitive issues like national security. In an interview with News18 in Lucknow, Singh also said that the former Congress chief needed to introspect as senior leaders were leaving the old party.
Gandhi has sought a response from the Center on Chinese incursions into Indian territory in connection with the Galwan Valley conflict in May 2020, which led to a prolonged standoff with China in eastern Ladakh. Rajnath told News18, “What should I say? I feel sad that such rhetoric is being made on issues of national security. There should be no accusation or counter-argument on this. I want to tell the people of India that no one Will not be able to capture even an inch of the country.
The Defense Minister continued his attack saying that Gandhi’s remarks on the Galwan Valley conflict were unfortunate when he said that China has lost fewer soldiers than India. He said, ‘Look what kind of statement he made that China has lost less soldiers than India. Even an Australian newspaper has reported the opposite of this news. He lost his voice when it came to talking about that report. He is questioning the valor of the brave soldiers of India. What could be a greater misfortune than this?” He asked.
When the recent kidnapping and release of a teenager from Arunachal Pradesh by the Chinese army came to light, Rajnath said, “What Chinese occupation is he (Rahul Gandhi) talking about? Is this before 1959 or after? He should know history. They (Congress) have ruled this country for more than 55 years, so they should make up their mind before opening their mouths.”
He further sarcastically said, ‘That’s why senior Congress leaders are leaving the party. There is no serious and experienced leader in Congress, all are gone. Those who are left will also leave.”
Talking about Congress’s presence in Uttar Pradesh and general secretary Priyanka Gandhi’s motto of ‘girl hoon, fight sakti hoon’ for the assembly polls, Rajnath said the party has become “insignificant” in the state. “The Congress has no importance in Uttar Pradesh. It’s unimportant. BJP is the main rival of other parties, there is no single party against BJP. We are fighting with all our might with victory as our goal,” he said.
In another veiled attack on the Congress, Rajnath mentioned how Priyanka Gandhi used to “clapping” Punjab Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi when he made his controversial “UP ke bhaiya” remark. He called it the “divide and rule” policy of the Congress. “It was very unfortunate. How can a CM say something like that, and you can see Priyanka is clapping. It is the policy of Congress to divide and rule. I was very upset. They are big leaders and then Keep saying such things.”
On the BJP’s performance in Punjab, where voting for the assembly polls concluded on Sunday, Rajnath said the saffron party and its allies would form the government there. “BJP is where it should be in Punjab,” he said. I cannot estimate the number of seats, but we will form the government there through our coalition partners like Captain’s party.”
Asked about current burning topics from India, such as the hijab controversy, which had started in Karnataka in the south, Rajnath declined to comment, saying the matter was “sub-judice”. But on international matters such as the Ukraine crisis, he clarified India’s stand and said there should be no “war-like situation”.
“We want it to be resolved through diplomacy,” he said. The problem can be resolved through diplomatic negotiations. India also wants that there should be no war like situation.”
Apart from these issues, the Defense Minister, who was in Lucknow, spoke at length about the Uttar Pradesh elections. He said that there is no anti-incumbency wave towards BJP but pro-incumbency and there is no doubt that Yogi Adityanath will be crowned chief minister once again to deal with the law and order situation in the state. He also said that farmers’ protests will have no bearing on the results of the UP elections, as Prime Minister Narendra Modi made a “magical” proposal by scrapping three new agriculture laws.
This time the BJP failed to keep prominent backward caste leaders like Swami Prasad Maurya and Om Prakash Rajbhar in the party. In 2017, the BJP forged an alliance with non-Yadav and non-Jatav leaders to build a strong OBC presence. Asked about backward castes being angry with the BJP, Rajnath said, “A single person can be angry with the party. The leaders who are angry are gone, but the OBC community is with the BJP.
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