New Delhi : BJP MP Nishikant Dubey responded to Rahul Gandhi’s criticism of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s practice of hugging foreign leaders, reminding the Congress leader of similar instances involving members of his own family during diplomatic engagements.
Dubey shared photographs of former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi with Cuban revolutionary Fidel Castro and Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat, as well as the viral image of Rahul Gandhi hugging PM Modi in Lok Sabha eight years ago, with the caption, “Rahul Gandhi ji calls this choking sensation gastric fire, or is it the fire of lust?” A video of the late Prime Minister’s meeting with Castro is also doing the rounds on social media.
The BJP MP’s remarks came hours after Rahul Gandhi criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s approach to foreign policy while speaking at the Rachnatmak Congress national convention on Thursday evening. Gandhi questioned the idea that diplomatic relations were primarily about embracing foreign leaders, saying he was unable to understand where Modi had got that notion. He also described the approach as reflecting a lack of understanding of foreign policy.
Dikshit then asked Rahul Gandhi whether he had “held” Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni with that intention. Gandhi replied that he had “not reached there yet.” The exchange drew criticism from BJP leaders, who accused the Congress MP of making an inappropriate reference to Meloni while targeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi. In a post on X, one BJP leader said that insulting the Prime Minister amounted to insulting the millions of voters who had elected Modi for three consecutive terms. He also accused Gandhi of questioning the electorate’s judgment because voters had rejected what he described as the Congress leader’s “dynastic politics.”
Joshi also criticised Rahul Gandhi for allegedly calling citizens “cowards” for rejecting his political narrative, urging the Congress leader to set aside his arrogance and respect the people’s mandate. BJP MP Bansuri Swaraj also condemned Gandhi’s remarks, saying they fell short of the standards expected from the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha. In a post on X, she described his language against Prime Minister Narendra Modi as “uncultured, obscene and indecent” and said it was inconsistent with the dignity attached to a constitutional office such as that of the Leader of the Opposition.
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