Rahul Gandhi hits back at PM Modi after INDIA barb, says ‘Call us what you want, we will still fight for the people’

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday hit back at Prime Minister Narendra Modi over his remarks on the opposition alliance I.N.D.I.A. and said “call us what you want”, but “we are India” and “will rebuild the idea of India in Manipur”.

Modi had slammed the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance or I.N.D.I.A. as the most directionless the country has ever seen and cited reviled names, such as East India Company and Indian Mujahideen, to assert that people cannot be misled merely by the use of the country’s name.

Parliamentary affairs minister Pralhad Joshi said the prime minister told a BJP Parliamentary Party meeting that the conduct of the opposition has been such that as if it has decided to stay in the opposition for long.

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Ramesh Bidhuri said the prime minister said even those with a design to divide the country had names like East India Company and Indian Mujahideen, but people will not be misled by these gimmicks.

Former Union minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said Modi told the BJP leaders that Indian National Congress and the East India Company were founded by foreigners.

He said people were also using names, such as Indian Mujahideen and Popular Front of India, and their realities were quite different from what they tried to project.

Modi’s remarks sparked a massive war of words between the Opposition and BJP leaders. “We will rebuild the idea of India in Manipur,” Rahul Gandhi tweeted.

Congress says Modi should shed his ‘ego’
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge also reacted to Modi’s jibe and urged him to make a “comprehensive” statement in both houses of Parliament on the violence in Manipur.

Kharge said 83 days of unabated violence in Manipur require that the prime minister make a comprehensive statement in Parliament. “Stories of absolute horror are now slowly trickling down. INDIA demands answers from the Modi Government on Manipur violence,” he said on Twitter.

Kharge said it was high time that Modi sheds his “ego” and takes the country into confidence on Manipur. “We demand a statement to be made by the prime minister in the House on the burning and emotive issue of Manipur which is adversely affecting the Indian democratic polity followed by a detailed and comprehensive discussion,” Kharge said in his notice while pointing out that violence continues even after two months in the northeastern state.

The opposition has been demanding a statement from the prime minister in both houses of Parliament on the situation in Manipur, followed by a discussion.

Congress MP Randeep Surjewala alleged that the PM is insulting the country and its freedom fighters. “He has time to speak in the US Parliament but does not have time to speak on Manipur in the Parliament of the country. Why does he hate the Indian Constitution and Parliament?” Surjewala told news agency ANI.

Veteran Congress leader Digvijay Singh said, “We have never seen such a prime minister who is scared of giving answers in the Parliament and if he has so many issues with the word ‘India’, he should remove ‘India’ from BJP for India, Startup India and others. We are proud of the name ‘India’.”

Congress MP Karti Chidambaram said he was glad that Modi was noticing the alliance and paying attention to its name and nomenclature. “We are giving a clear contrast and the people of India will decide whether they want the I.N.D.I.A. alliance or the divisive NDA alliance,” news agency PTI quoted Karti as saying.

‘Sad that the PM is…’: Priyanka Chaturvedi
Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Priyanka Chaturvedi said, “It’s sad that the PM is comparing the name of our country I.N.D.I.A with terror outfits.”

BJP defends PM Modi
Defending Modi’s remarks, BJP leader Jagdambika Pal said, “The Opposition is not letting the House function. Today, the Home minister himself said that we are ready for discussion on Manipur but the Opposition is running away from it.”

Union minister Arjun Ram Meghwal said, “The Opposition has only one demand that PM Modi initiates the discussion. I want to remind you that when on the issue of Manipur, Union home minister Amit Shah called a meeting, at the time this PM issue did not exist. After the all-party meeting of the floor leaders took place. In that too, they (Opposition) demanded immediate discussion. Defence minister Rajnath Singh was heading it and he accepted the request immediately…”