Rahul Gandhi has alleged that Arun Jaitley threatened him during the farm laws protest
- Rahul Gandhi claimed Arun Jaitley threatened him over farm laws, which Jaitley’s son denied
- Arun Jaitley died in August 2019; farm laws were introduced in Parliament in September 2020
- Top BJP ministers criticised Rahul Gandhi’s remarks as baseless, irresponsible, and hateful
Top ministers in the Narendra Modi government have slammed the Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, over his remarks on the late Arun Jaitley, a veteran BJP leader and former Union Minister. From Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman to Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju to Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, prominent party leaders have fact-checked the Congress leader and termed his remarks "irresponsible" and "hateful".
Speaking at the Congress' annual legal conclave at Vigyan Bhawan, Mr Gandhi said, "I remember when I was fighting the farm laws -- he's not here anymore so really I shouldn't say it but I will -- Arun Jaitleyji was sent to me to threaten me and he said, 'if you carry on down this path, opposing the government, fighting us on the farm laws, we will have to act against you'. I looked at him and said, I don't think you know who you are talking to, I don't think you have an idea who you are talking to."
Soon after, Mr Jaitley's son and prominent lawyer Rohan Jaitley fact-checked Mr Gandhi and said his father had died before the farm laws were introduced in Parliament. "Rahul Gandhi now claims my late father, Arun Jaitley, threatened him over the farm laws. Let me remind him, my father passed away in 2019. The farm laws were introduced in 2020.
"More importantly, it was not in my father's nature to threaten anyone over an opposing view. He was a staunch democrat and always believed in building consensus. If at all such a situation were to occur, as it often does in politics, he would invite free and open discussions to arrive at a mutually acceptable solution for all. That was simply who he was, and that remains his legacy today," he said on X.
The Congress leader is now drawing fire from top central ministers.
"Whole day I was thinking... that how much one can lie? Late Arun Jaitley ji died on 24 August 2019! Three Agriculture - Related Bills were introduced in Lok Sabha on 14th Sept 2020. How can late Arun Jaitley ji meet Shri Rahul Gandhi for Farm Laws when he is no more alive," Mr Rijiju asked on X.
Ms Sitharaman termed the remarks "despicable". "If irresponsibility has a face, it is @RahulGandhi, Leader of Opposition in LS. To throw baseless allegations at people in public life, even those who are no longer with us, is becoming a personality trait in him. His remarks on late Shri. Arun Jaitley is despicable. India needs a strong opposition party. An irresponsible leadership hurts his party @INCIndia and the country. But does he care?" she asked.
Education Minister Pradhan said Mr Gandhi "has completely shredded all standards of decorum in public life". "Former Union Minister and senior leader, the late Arun Jaitley ji, is no longer among us. However, Rahul Gandhi's immature and childish, hateful mentality has insensitively spread lies in the name of the late Arun Jaitley ji to further his own agenda, disregarding the facts related to the agricultural laws," he said.
"The agricultural law was introduced in Parliament in 2020, and Jaitley ji's unfortunate demise occurred in August 2019. Rahul Gandhi's opportunistic, hateful, and baseless rhetoric has once again proven that Congress members have no connection with sentiments like empathy; their so-called 'shop of love' is filled only with 'hateful words," Mr Pradhan added.
The BJP's official handle on X snubbed Mr Gandhi over his claim. "Rahul Gandhi's claim: Arun Jaitley Ji 'threatened' him over farm laws. Fact 1: Shri Jaitley passed away in August 2019. Fact 2: The farm laws were introduced in September 2020. Basic logic is the last thing you can expect from Rahul Gandhi," it said.
Fighting fire, senior Congress leader and the party's media and publicity head, Pawan Khera, said on X, "What matters is not who conveyed the threat, but on whose behalf was it being conveyed."
"This was never about one Bill or one Act - it was about crushing Rahul Gandhi's fierce, unyielding defence of India's farmers or the Indian people in general," he added.
