Rahul Gandhi ‘Has Never Insulted India, Will Never...’: Congress Chief Kharge Hits Back At BJP

Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge defended Rahul Gandhi's comments in the US, stating that he had never insulted India and that the BJP's criticism was politically motivated.

New Delhi, Sep 9 (PTI) Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Monday backed Rahul Gandhi over his remarks in the US and slammed the BJP for its criticism of the comments, asserting the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha had never insulted India and would never do so.

Kharge said the BJP needs an excuse to raise such issues.

The Congress president's remarks come after the BJP launched a scathing attack on Gandhi over his latest remarks in the United States, calling him a "black spot" in Indian democracy.

The BJP alleged that Gandhi wants to insult India.

BJP spokesperson Gaurav Bhatia said, "Everybody knows that Rahul Gandhi is an immature and part-time leader. But people have put a huge responsibility on his shoulders since he became the leader of opposition (in the Lok Sabha)." "But I feel sad to say that Rahul Gandhi is a black spot in Indian democracy. He does not even know what to talk about when he visits a foreign country," Bhatia told a press conference at the BJP headquarters here.

Asked about the BJP's attack on Gandhi, the Congress president said, "He (Gandhi) has never insulted India and will never do so. This is our promise." "But BJP needs an excuse to raise such issues," Kharge said on the sidelines of a book launch event here.

Addressing the Indian American community in Texas, Gandhi said love, respect and humility are missing in Indian politics. He also accused the RSS and the BJP of believing that women should stay at home.

"The RSS believes that India is one idea. We believe that India is a multiplicity of ideas," he said during his address.

"Very much like the United States, we believe everybody should be allowed to participate. We believe that everybody should be allowed to dream, (and) everybody should be given space, regardless of their caste, language, religion, tradition, history," he said.

Rahul Gandhi also said in Texas that millions of people with skills are being sidelined in India and referred to Eklavya from Mahabharata, who had to chop off his thumb on his guru's demand.

"Have you heard of the Eklavya story? If you want to understand what is happening in India, it is millions and millions of Eklavya stories every single day. People with skills are being sidelined — they are not being allowed to operate or thrive, and this is happening everywhere," the official X account of the Congress quoted Gandhi as saying.

Gandhi is on a four-day visit to the US, during which he will interact with the members of the Indian diaspora and youths with stops in Dallas Texas, and Washington DC. He also plans to meet lawmakers and senior officials of the US government during his visit to Washington DC, beginning Monday. 

(This report has been published as part of the auto-generated syndicate wire feed. Apart from the headline, no editing has been done in the copy by ABP Live.)