"Rahul Gandhi Not A Child, Should Not Harm Nation's Image": Kiren Rijiju

Union Minister Kiren Rijiju on Friday hit out at Congress MP Rahul Gandhi for echoing US President Donald Trump's criticisms of the Indian economy, saying the opposition leader is "not a child" and should understand the country's image cannot be harmed this way. 

"Rahul Gandhi is giving statements against the country. Several members from the Opposition have also said that this is not right. India's economy and image cannot be harmed like this," the Parliamentary Affairs Minister told reporters. 

"Rahul Gandhi should understand that he is not a child. It is everyone's responsibility to maintain the country's honour and image. The Opposition leader should have this much understanding," he added. 

On Thursday, Mr Gandhi stoked controversy after he reiterated US President Donald Trump's remarks on the Indian economy and said everyone, except Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharam, knows that the country's economy is "dead". 

The Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha also alleged that the BJP-led Centre has destroyed the country's economic, defence and foreign policies, and is "running the country to the ground".

"He (Mr Trump) is right, everybody knows this except the prime minister and the finance minister. Everybody knows that the Indian economy is a dead economy. I am glad that President Trump has stated a fact. It is a dead economy, are you people not aware of it," he told reporters.

His remarks came hours after the US President announced a 25% additional import duty plus penalty on goods imported from India. Subsequently, he hit out at India and Russia and said the two countries "can take their dead economies down together". 

The BJP flayed the Congress leader for "echoing" Mr Trump's "dead economy" jibe at India, calling it a "shameful" insult to the aspirations, achievements, and well-being of the people of the country.

Mr Gandhi also failed to find favour with a section of his own party, as party leaders Rajeev Shukla, Shashi Tharoor and Karti Chidambaram disagreed with the US President.

Mr Shukla said Mr Trump's statement was "completely wrong". "Our economic condition is not at all weak. If someone claims they can finish us economically, it's likely due to a misunderstanding. Trump is living in a delusion," he told news agency ANI. 

Mr Tharoor also rejected the US President's remarks and said "it is not the case, and we all know it". 

Senior BJP leader Amit Malviya said the Congress leader hit a new low by echoing Mr Trump's "dead economy" jibe. "But let's be honest - the only thing truly 'dead' here is Rahul Gandhi's own political credibility and legacy. Even amidst global slowdown, India remains the world's fastest-growing major economy, with the IMF and World Bank revising growth projections upwards," he said, adding, "This is not a dead economy. This is a surging, resilient India."