New Delhi: The Congress hit back at the BJP for targeting the Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi whose recent comments made in the United States riled the ruling party.
The BJP was upset over Rahul's comments alleging the 2024 Lok Sabha elections were "controlled" and the fight with the saffron party was about freedom related to the practice of religion.
The BJP threatened legal action against the former Congress chief saying he should not have made such comments which painted the country in a poor light.
The Congress leaders hit back at the saffron party for targeting Rahul Gandhi."As Leader of the Opposition and even before that he had been asking tough questions of the central government as well as the BJP. Criticising the BJP or the government is not criticising the country. The BJP is not the country. He is only doing his duty as an Opposition leader," All India Congress Committee (AICC) functionary Suraj Hegde told ETV Bharat.
"Both India and the US are democratic countries and both encourage such free exchange of ideas. It is the job of the Opposition to question government policies. What is wrong in doing so in the public interest," he said.
According to Hegde, the Leader of the Opposition was right about his "controlled" election comment as the Congress had raised several complaints of violation of the model code by the BJP during the Lok Sabha elections but the Election Commission of India (ECI) did not act on the same.
"We pointed at the various poll code violations and the irregularities to the Election Commission but nothing happened. We cannot call the 2024 elections fair and free. There were delays in the publication of polling data and even the final figures did not match properly. The Election Commission has to be questioned," said Hegde.
Congress media head Pawan Khera said the BJP and the Narendra Modi government will have to bear this fact in mind that the Opposition will question them.
"Why do they think asking questions from them is against the country? The BJP is not India after all. If the saffron party is worried that the world is noticing Rahul's comments the same happens when he speaks within the country," Khera told ETV Bharat.
According to AICC functionary BM Sandeep, the BJP was concerned over Rahul’s remark that the idea of PM Modi had become history.
"They rely on the brand Modi and when it gets drubbed abroad, it hurts them. But that is true, a united opposition did dilute the brand Modi in the national elections. That is now reflected inside the Parliament where a united opposition has forced the government to take several U-turns over controversial issues," Sandeep told ETV Bharat.
"The BJP gets upset every time Rahul Gandhi attacks them. So, this is nothing new," he said.
"I don't hate Mr. Modi. He has a point of view; I don't agree with the point of view, but I don't hate him. He has a different perspective, and I have a different perspective," is how Rahul Gandhi responded to a query during an interaction at Georgetown University in Washington DC.
