'Liar, silly souls': Congress shares fact-check video after Smriti Irani's allegations against Rahul Gandhi

In a video, Union minister Smriti Irani criticised the Congress party for forgetting to pay tribute to Swami Vivekananda when the party's ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’ commenced in Kanyakumari last week. She accused Congress MP Rahul Gandhi of finding the gesture of paying respect “unacceptable”.

Congress on Monday slammed Union minister Smriti Irani after she accused Rahul Gandhi of not bowing down and touching the feet of Swami Vivekananda's statue while launching the ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’ in Kanyakumari last week.

Congress MP Rahul Gandhi and Union minister Smriti Irani

Taking to Twitter, Youth Congress president Srinivas BV shared a side-by-side clips of Irani making the aforementioned accusation and Gandhi paying tribute to Vivekananda's statue. The video was shared by many other Congress leaders as the grand old party took digs at the BJP leader.

“Today, I want to ask the Congress party, you say you're on a ‘yatra’ to unite India. Then, at least don't be so shameless as to have ignored Swami Vivekananda. But it seems even such a gesture does not have Rahul Gandhi's approval,” Irani said in the video in Hindi.

“Chal Jhoothi (liar)…Don't you get ashamed of telling such a silly lie?” Srinivas tweeted with the side-by-side clips.

Congress leader Pawan Khera also shared the clip and took a similar “silly” swipe at Irani. “What a silly thing to do! God bless Silly Souls,” he tweeted.

The veteran Congress leader also retweeted a series of posts by his colleagues who also shared the side-by-side clips on the micro-blogging site.

Irani also slammed Gandhi of “harming the unity of India”. The Union minister, who defeated the former Congress chief in 2019 Lok Sabha polls to win the Amethi constituency, expressed displeasure over his “fight is now against the structure of Indian state” remark in Kanyakumari. “You have waged a war against India. I am shocked by your hunger for power,” Irani said.