Jayant Patil said fundamental issues should be prioritised to take the country forward
Maharashtra minister Jayant Patil today slammed Union minister Smriti Irani for seeking apology from Rahul Gandhi over the Congress leader's "rape in India" remark.
Using the "ShamelessSmriti" hashtag, Mr Patil, who is also Maharashtra Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief, said fundamental issues should be prioritised to take the country forward.
Speaking at a public meeting in Jharkhand, Mr Gandhi had said Prime Minister Narendra Modi promised "Make in India," but "wherever you see now, you find rape in India".
When Ms Irani and other BJP leaders took objection to his statement and sought his apology, Mr Gandhi today said he would never apologise.
Rahul Gandhi instead demanded that PM Modi should apologise for an old speech, where he is heard saying that Delhi has turned into a "rape capital" under the UPA rule.
Replying to Rahul Gandhi's tweet, Mr Patil said, "#ShamelessSmriti Saw your speech in the LS, will you still be asking for an apology? Let's not digress and prioritise the fundamental issues to take this country forward as promised."