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Opposition leaders slam Assam CM for his remarks against Rahul Gandhi
Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma attacked the Congress leader for allegedly demanding proof of India’s cross-border strikes in Pakistan
NEW DELHI: Opposition leaders have criticised Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma for his remarks against Rahul Gandhi, with Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge calling them “childish and condemnable”.
Sarma attacked the former Congress chief for allegedly demanding proof of India’s cross-border strikes in Pakistan. He asked whether they ever demanded proof that Rahul Gandhi is the son of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi.
Telangana chief minister K Chandrashekar Rao hit out at Sarma and demanded his resignation. “PM [Narendra] Modi ji, are these the etiquettes of our Hindu religion to question an MP [member of Parliament] about the identity of his father. This was done by your BJP chief minister,” he said. “This is not a good thing for the country.” He wondered how could a chief minister talk like this.
Shiv Sena Member of Parliament Priyanka Chaturvedi asked Sarma to move on from his abusive personal attacks on the basis of a bitter fallout with Rahul Gandhi. She said Sarma’s claim that Rahul Gandhi questioned surgical strikes is a lie. Chaturvedi added even if he did, does it give Sarma a free pass to abuse Rahul Gandhi’s mother.
Telugu Desam Party leader Nara Lokesh regretted the increasingly derogatory language politicians use. In a tweet, he added disagreements may not always be nuanced but they must never cross the boundary of decency. Lokesh said the personal attack on Rahul Gandhi was not in good taste.
Telangana’s Congress unit passed a resolution on Sunday, demanding immediate dismissal of Sarma and a criminal case against him.
Following the backlash, Sarma claimed Congress wrongly interpreted his statement.
