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Kiren Rijiju demands apology from Rahul Gandhi for Lok Sabha speech, says he 'condemns as law minister and citizen'
While addressing the Lok Sabha on Wednesday, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said the Indian judiciary, Election Commission and Pegasus are instruments of “destroying the voice of the union of states".
Following Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's scathing attack on the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led Centre in Parliament, Union law minister Kiren Rijiju took to Twitter to demand an immediate apology from him. “I condemn what Mr Rahul Gandhi has said about India's judiciary and EC (Election Commission),” he tweeted.
Rijiju said that he condemns Gandhi's statements on India's judiciary and the EC not only as “India's law minister but also as an ordinary citizen”.
“These are vital institutions of our democracy. Mr Rahul Gandhi should immediately apologise to the people, judiciary and [the] EC,” the minister's tweet further read.
Gandhi, during his motion of thanks to President Ram Nath Kovind's speech on the first day of the ongoing Budget session, slammed the central government over unemployment, farmers' issue, union of states, poverty, Pegasus spyware, and China.
Saying that India is described as a union of states, Gandhi said that this means his “brother from Tamil Nadu has the same right” as his “sister from Maharashtra”. “The same right as my brothers and sisters from Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Manipur, Nagaland, Mizoram and all states,” the Congress leader added.
To prove his point, Gandhi said that the “judiciary, Election Commission [and] Pegasus” are all “instruments of destroying the voice of the union of states".
He further said that the Centre has an idea that India can be ruled with a stick, but it's a “flawed vision”. Referring to the year-long farmers' protest over the now-repealed three farm laws, Gandhi said that the idea of ‘Shahenshah’ (king) has come back in India.
