Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Tuesday criticised the Supreme Court’s remarks directed at Rahul Gandhi, asserting that the judiciary does not have the authority to decide who qualifies as a ‘true Indian’.
She also reaffirmed that Rahul Gandhi, the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, has consistently demonstrated respect for the Indian Armed Forces.
Her statement follows a stern response from the apex court on Monday regarding Gandhi’s comments on the Indian Army and his claim that over 2,000 sq km of Indian territory had been occupied by China.
Responding to the court’s observations, Priyanka stated, “With all due respect to the judiciary, it is not for them to determine who is a true Indian and who is not. The Justice will not decide that. Another thing is that Rahul Gandhi has always respected the Army and our soldiers. His respect towards the Army is clearly reflected in every statement and speech.”
She added that it is the duty of the Leader of Opposition to question the government, and Rahul Gandhi has always upheld that role.
“The government does not like it, and they do not want to answer him; that is why they resort to all these things,” Priyanka Gandhi asserted.
Parliament Protest and SIR Controversy
On the issue of Opposition protests disrupting Parliament, Priyanka questioned the government’s unwillingness to engage in discussion.
“The Parliament proceedings have been taking place for the past few days. How difficult can it be to run the Parliament? The government should assure the public that it is willing to hold a discussion on the SIR issue, which concerns the entire country,” she noted.
Referring to the recent debate on Operation Sindoor, she argued, “They held discussions on Operation Sindoor, so why not on SIR? Why can’t they address a topic that the entire opposition demands? Have they become so weak that they cannot even manage Parliament effectively?”
On Monday, Justices Dipankar Datta and Joymalya Bagchi questioned Rahul Gandhi’s claim that China had occupied Indian territory, asking his counsel, senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi, “How do you know that 2,000 square kilometres of Indian territory were occupied by the Chinese? Were you there? Do you have any credible material?”
The Bench remarked, “If you were a true Indian, you would not say all this,” and also questioned why such statements were made on social media instead of in Parliament.
Despite the criticism, the court decided to pause defamation proceedings against Gandhi related to the remarks.
The comments in question came during Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Yatra, where he allegedly claimed, “Chinese troops are thrashing Indian Army soldiers in Arunachal Pradesh,” referencing the 9 December 2022 clash in the Tawang sector.
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