Ro Khanna attacked for supporting Rahul Gandhi: 'Don't malign my grandfather'

Indian-American politician Ro Khanna condemned Rahul Gandhi's disqualification from the Lok Sabha following which he has been subjected to criticism mostly around the premises that 'his grandfather Amarnath Vidyalankar supported Indira Gandhi's Emergency'

Indian-American politician Ro Khanna drew flak on social media after he condemned Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's suspension from the Lok Sabha a day after Rahul Gandhi was convicted in a 2019 defamation case. As Ro Khanna said this is not what his grandfather sacrificed years in jail, he was reminded that his grandfather Amarnath Vidyalankar was a supporter of Indira Gandhi during the Emergency. "Always stood for fascist decisions?" filmmaker Vivek Agnihotri wrote.

'Attack me. Don't attack India's freedom fighters, ' Ro Khanna said after he was criticised for supporting Rahul Gandhi.

"It’s sad to see people maligning my grandfather who worked for Lala Lajpat Rai, was jailed in 31-32 and 41-45, and wrote two letters to Indira Gandhi opposing the emergency, leaving parliament right after. Attack me. Don’t attack India’s freedom fighters. And facts matter," Ro Khanna said after receiving backlash for commenting on Rahul Gandhi's disqualification.

On Thursday, Rahul Gandhi was convicted by a Surat court for his 'how come all thieves have Modi surname in common' comment he made during the 2019 Lok Sabha election campaign. A day later, he was disqualified as an MP which triggered a huge political row with the Congress taking to the street along with the opposition.

"The expulsion of Rahul Gandhi from parliament is a deep betrayal of Gandhian philosophy and India’s deepest values. This is not what my grandfather sacrificed years in jail for. @narendramodi you have the power to reverse this decision for the sake of Indian democracy," Ro Khanna reacted only to be told to shut up by prominent social media users and to not "flex his grandfather as he supported Emergency'.