SC rap to Rahul over China comments: BJP says LoP ‘demoralising’ Armed Forces, Cong says govt behind biggest territorial setback since 1962

The BJP questioned if Gandhi was fit for the post, accusing him of assaulting “the same Constitution that he symbolically held”.

“The Honourable Supreme Court made a statement — ‘If you are a true Indian, you wouldn’t say this. The apex court has made a grave comment on Rahul Gandhi’s Bharatiyata… Today, when this comment has come, a question arises — does Bharat deserve a better Leader of Opposition?” BJP national spokesperson Gaurav Bhatia said.

“As a Leader of the Opposition who has taken oath under the Constitution, to protect the sovereignty of our country, is he destroying the sovereignty of our country? Is he helping nations that are inimical to our country? Is he demoralising the brave Indian armed forces?” he said.

BJP national general secretary (organisation) B L Santhosh said the Gandhi family has “zero right” to comment on the China issue “after all compromises & meek responses to cross border aggression”.

Congress communications in-charge Jairam Ramesh, meanwhile, accused the Union government of obfuscation and said every “patriotic Indian” has sought answers to a number of questions since 20 “brave soldiers were martyred in Galwan on 15 June, 2020”.

He asked: “Why did the Prime Minister (Narendra Modi) give a clean chit to China saying ‘Na koi hamari seema mein ghus aaya hai, na hi koi ghusa hua hai’?”

Ramesh quoted Chief of Army Staff General Upendra Dwivedi saying “we want to go back to the status quo of April 2020”, and asked if the “withdrawal agreement of 21 October, 2024, takes us back to the status quo”.

“Was it not widely reported in 2020 that 1,000 sq km of eastern Ladakh had come under Chinese control, including 900 sq km in Depsang?” asked Ramesh, asking why imports from China were “booming”.

“The fact of the matter is that the Modi government is responsible for the biggest territorial setback India has faced since 1962, and it is pursuing “normalisation” with a hostile China because of its cowardice and misplaced economic priorities,” said Ramesh.

Congress MP and party’s Law Department chairperson Abhishek Manu Singhvi said that it was “ironic” and “amazing” that “losers were crowing” against Gandhi. He said the Supreme Court had formed “prima facie opinion in favour of Gandhi and had issued notice in defamation case”.