Janjivan Bureau/ New Delhi : Rahul Gandhi’s first offshore visit as Leader of Opposition continued to raise a storm with the Central Government on Wednesday fielding Union Home Minister Amit Shah to attack the Congress leader for his “anti-reservation and anti-national” remarks in the US.
Shah, while reacting to Gandhi’s “we can think of scrapping reservations when India becomes fair” comments in Washington, today said, “By speaking about abolishing reservations in the country, Rahul Gandhi has once again brought the Congress’s anti-reservation face to the forefront. The thoughts that were in his mind eventually found their way out as words.”
Shah also accused Gandhi of standing with anti-India forces.
”Standing with forces that conspire to divide the country and making anti-national statements have become a habit for Rahul Gandhi and the Congress Party. Whether it is supporting the JKNC’s anti-national and anti-reservation agenda in J&K or making anti-India statements on foreign platforms, Rahul has always threatened the nation’s security and hurt sentiments. Rahul’s statement lays bare the Congress’s politics of causing rifts on the lines of regionalism, religion, and linguistic differences,” the Home Minister said.
He said as long as the BJP was there, neither can anyone abolish reservations nor can anyone mess with the nation’s security.
Rahul’s US visit is being closely watched by the BJP which today said that the Congress MP, “whenever abroad is on a mission to demean, defame and denigrate the country.”
BJP’s senior spokesperson Ravi Shankar Prasad listed a series of foreign visits where Rahul made controversial remarks, including one UK trip where he said “the Indian democracy was in danger and the US and UK should intervene.”
”Rahul has made it a habit to attack India when abroad,” said Prasad.
The BJP added it would release a list of controversial statements Gandhi made in his several offshore visits in recent years.
The BJP leaders also questioned the “quality of intellectual advice” being offered to Gandhi by his mentor Sam Pitroda, who is the architect of the Congress MP’s foreign visits in his capacity as the Chairman of the Indian Overseas Congress.