New Delhi: Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju on Monday sought an apology from the Congress and Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi for his controversial “Chinese tanks in Doklam” remark and also for the sin of surrendering Indian territory to China in the past.
Addressing reporters after an adjournment in Lok Sabha over Rahul Gandhi’s remarks, Rijiju said compromising our territory will never be allowed; in fact, the Congress must apologise for the sins it committed by surrendering Indian territory to China before 1959 and in 1962.
“Under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, India would not surrender even an inch of its land,” he said, calling Rahul Gandhi’s claims a bid to create a false narrative and project India as a weak nation.
Criticising Gandhi’s unsubstantiated claims, Rijiju said the Congress must apologise.
“They can’t reclaim the land that the Congress government surrendered to China 50-60 years ago. If they cannot undo the past, at least they can apologise,” said Rijiju.
The Minister also disapproved of Gandhi’s reluctance to follow the instructions of the Chair and wasting nearly 30 minutes of the House.
“We wanted to hear each other on Motion of Thanks to the President’s Address and proceed to the next agenda, but just because Rahul Gandhi is born in a particular family, he considers himself above the House and its rules,” he said.
Rijiju also assailed Congress MPs clapping over the LoP’s repeated refusal to follow instructions from Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla and prevent the House from functioning as per rules.
“I want Rahul Gandhi to introspect, apply his mind and advise his party MPs to function democratically and follow the rules of the House,” he said.
The Minister said that if Indian territory has been surrendered to China, it has been done under the Congress rule in the past.
He said under PM Modi, the border infrastructure has improved, and the armed forces are serving with full strength on the border.
Rijiju parried a question over possible disciplinary action by the Speaker against Rahul Gandhi for his undemocratic behaviour, saying that this is a secondary matter which will be addressed later. “First, let the Congress apologise for the sins of surrendering land to China 50-60 years ago,” he said.
In another development, a combative Rahul Gandhi told reporters outside Parliament that he was prevented from mentioning excerpts of Army chief General M.M. Naravane’s unpublished memoir as that would have “exposed” the government and ministers.
