Watch| ‘Indeed unfortunate’: Anurag Thakur’s dig at Rahul Gandhi for his ‘unfortunate MP’ remark

Anurag Thakur's remarks came a day after Rahul Gandhi held a press conference amid the ongoing political row over his UK speeches, where a clip of him saying “Unfortunately, I am an MP..." has gone viral, where he's explaining to the media that he will first speak in Lok Sabha on the matter.

Union minister Anurag Thakur Friday took a dig at Rahul Gandhi for his “unfortunately, I am member of Parliament” remark and said “really it was unfortunate that he is an MP because he insulted the House, that he is a part of, on the foreign soil", referring to his remarks about the Indian democracy in the United Kingdom made earlier this month.

Union minister Anurag Thakur speaking outside Parliament on Friday in Delhi.(Twitter/Anurag Thakur)

Thakur’s dig came a day after Rahul Gandhi’s press conference amid the political row over his UK speeches, where a clip of him saying “Unfortunately, I am a member of Parliament..." went viral where he was explaining to the media that he will give his statement first in the Lok Sabha and then to them.

The Union information and broadcasting minister also slammed Gandhi for his “low attendance” in the House which he linked to the Wayanad MP’s “poor” understanding of how Parliament works. “...to be able to do something, he needs to attend the House…he may not know but the House runs on rules and under the direction of the speaker…I even brought his booklet (of House rules) to give him so he can understand….for that he needs to be here first…” Thakur’s attack followed.

The Bharatiya Janata Party minister, while speaking outside the Parliament, even alleged that Gandhi is accustomed to telling lies and that his name - Rahul was an acronym for “Regretful, Awful, Hateful, Ungrateful, Liar”.

On Rahul Gandhi’s request to the Lok Sabha speaker Om Birla for being allowed to speak in the House about the allegations levelled against him, Thakur cornered the Gandhi family and asked if they considered themselves greater than the country. “Is a family greater than home and country? Why is Rahul Gandhi, who insulted Parliament and the country from a foreign land, ashamed of coming to the House and apologising to the country?” he said, demanding an unconditional apology from the Congress leader.

Rahul Gandhi’s comments made during his visit to the UK earlier this month have blown into full-fledged controversy disrupting the proceedings of the second leg of Parliament's Budget session. Both the BJP and Opposition have remained adamant on their demands with the BJP wanting Gandhi’s apology for his remarks while the Opposition sticking to their stand of wanting a joint parliamentary probe into the Adani crisis.