Union Minister Anurag Thakur responded to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s “sadly I am MP” remark on Friday, saying that sometimes the truth comes out and it is truly “unfortunate” that he is an MP. The BJP politician’s remark came a day after a video of Rahul Gandhi being chastised by senior party leader Jairam Ramesh for his “Unfortunately, I am a member of Parliament” remark went viral.
Talking to ANI, Anurag Thakur said, “Sometimes, the truth comes out naturally, and as Rahul rightly said, unfortunately, he is a member of the Parliament, because of the way he uses foreign soil to defame and spread lies about the same prestigious institution, the Parliament of India, of which unfortunately he is a member”. Attacking the former Congress President, Anurag Thakur said, “Today ‘RAHUL’ stands for ‘Regretful Awful Hateful Ungrateful Liar'”.
Rahul should come and apologise unconditionally, according to the Union Minister.
“But, he is still attaching conditions to that. Is he exempt from the rule of law? Is he above the House’s rules and procedures? “Does the Gandhi family still believe they are above the country and the legislature?” Thakur stated.
Taking his criticism a step further, the BJP leader said that Rahul’s attendance in Parliament is lower than the average.
“He (Rahul Gandhi) has to understand that the Parliament is run as per the rules and procedure of the house and as per the direction given by the honourable speaker. But that only happens if he comes to the house and reads the rules and procedures of the house. I believe he will understand that and come and apologise to the House and the Parliament,” Thakur further added.
“Notably, a clip of the press conference went viral on Thursday, where Rahul Gandhi can be heard saying, “Unfortunately I am a member of Parliament.”
The remark prompted Ramesh to mutter in Rahul’s ear, asking him to say, “Unfortunately, I am a member of Parliament, they can make a joke out of it.”
“Unfortunately for you, I am a Member of Parliament and as the allegation has been made in Parliament by four ministers, it is my right to have the opportunity to have my say on the floor of Parliament. It is my democratic right,” Rahul Gandhi said, correcting himself.
Union Minister Piyush Goyal uploaded a 25-second clip from Rahul Gandhi’s news conference on his Twitter profile, writing, “Unfortunately, we are at a loss for words…”
In response to the uproar over the viral video of Rahul being tutored by Ramesh, the latter stated that it was another attempt by the BJP to divert public attention away from the ‘Modani’ fraud.
“The RW system is having a field day with my pointing out to @RahulGandhi that his statement’s construct would be distorted by BJP’s fake news machine. He clarified instantly. We speak freely to the media without teleprompters. This is another attempt to distract from the Modani scam,” Ramesh tweeted.
BJP spokesperson Shehzad Poonawala tweeted, “Well Jairam it is unfortunate for us that he is an MP in the August Parliament he so badly undermines & betrays..Sad that he can’t even make a statement without being coached! Wonder who coached him for his foreign intervention statement?”
Rahul had previously stated that he planned to give a detailed speech in Parliament.
“So, if Indian democracy was functioning, I would be able to say my piece in Parliament. So, actually what you are seeing, is a test of Indian democracy. After four leaders of the BJP have made an allegation about a Member of Parliament, is that Member of Parliament going to be given the same space that those four Ministers have been given or is he going to be told to shut up? That’s what the real question in front of this country is right now,” Rahul said.
However, the second part of the parliament’s budget session has been repeatedly disrupted, with both the BJP and opposition parties adhering to their positions.
The BJP has demanded an apology from Rahul Gandhi for his comments in the UK, while the opposition has called for a joint parliamentary committee investigation into the report by US short-seller Hindenburg Research against the Adani Group.
