Rahul Gandhi Must Prove Claims, Says Union Minister Giriraj Singh
New Delhi, October 26: Union Minister Giriraj Singh has launched a sharp attack on Rahul Gandhi, accusing him of spreading falsehoods on the SIR issue and calling on him to present evidence for his allegations. The remarks came amid criticism of Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge's statement against Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Singh said Kharge's remark was part of a pattern the Congress party has repeated over the years. He said Kharge's colleagues are now trying to explain it away by claiming there was no intention behind the words.
Referring to earlier controversies, Singh said Kharge has previously used abusive language and insulted others. He also cited controversial comments by Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi and Mani Shankar Aiyar.
According to Singh, Congress is driven by jealousy because a leader from a backward background, from an extremely backward class, and the son of a tea seller now holds the office of Prime Minister. He described this as the result of total desperation and said the party is trying to provoke civil war with support from foreign forces, a plan he said would never succeed in India.
On the INDIA bloc's proposed rally at Ramlila Maidan against the SIR process and Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, Singh said Rahul Gandhi is free to protest. He stressed that democracy allows everyone to present their views.
Singh added that Gandhi appears unconcerned about Hindu festivals and the losses that traders suffer during Diwali. He said it made no difference to him whether Gandhi held one rally or four, but that the government would act in public interest, even if some people were inconvenienced by the rallies.
Talking about regime change, Singh said the opposition was disturbed by ongoing development work led by PM Modi. He challenged Rahul Gandhi to specify which system he wants to change.
Singh said the Congress government built only 3 crore houses, whereas PM Modi has built about 5 crore houses in 10 years, and more are in progress. He said this was made possible by the resolve to provide homes to poor families.
He asked whether Gandhi wanted to dismantle the system that gave gas connections to poor households and Ayushman cards worth up to 5 lakh rupees.
Singh further stated that under PM Modi's leadership, India's economy had risen from 10th place to the 4th and 6th positions. He claimed that voters had already rejected Gandhi, and that after losing hundreds of elections, Gandhi had shown his true intentions.
Singh said Gandhi had lost trust in democracy and was spreading lies. He pointed to Gandhi's months-long tour of Bihar on the SIR issue and a controversial public remark against the Prime Minister, and said voters rejected him at the polls.
Singh concluded by saying that if Gandhi's claims on SIR have any substance, he must produce evidence. He said the lies Gandhi has built his politics on will not work again.