BHOPAL: A day after Lok Sabha member from New Delhi constituency Meenakshi Lekhi raked up assassinations of former Prime Ministers Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi over Rahul Gandhi’s tweet on Pulwama attack’s first anniversary, another BJP MP made controversial remarks over the issue on Saturday.
Sudhir Gupta, the BJP MP from Mandsaur seat of Madhya Pradesh, went a step ahead on Saturday, raising the issue of former PM Rajiv Gandhi’s marriage with Italian-origin Sonia Gandhi. He even said that the country was already facing the adverse effects of someone born to a foreign lady (Rahul Gandhi) interfering in the affairs of the country’s governance.
When questioned by journalists over Rahul Gandhi’s tweets on February 14, 2019 Pulwama attack, the BJP MP said in Mandsaur on Saturday, “At a time when the entire country remembered the sacrifices of the brave jawans killed in the Pulwama attack, Rahul Gandhi shamelessly raised questions about the dastardly attack. We’re ashamed that Rahul is from amongst us.”
In the same vein, Gupta made shocking remarks, “Rahul Gandhi and his party colleague Surjewala (Randip Singh Surjawala) question, who benefitted from the attack? Even we can question who benefitted from the marriage between an Italian woman and an Indian man (Rajiv Gandhi-Sonia Gandhi marriage), at least the country didn’t benefit from the wedlock with Antonio (Sonia Gandhi was Antonio Maino before marrying Rajiv Gandhi).”
The BJP’s Lok Sabha member didn’t stop there, but added, “We can also question, What was the nishkarsh (conclusion) of that marriage, as the conclusion of that wedlock is Rahul Gandhi. Further, it can be questioned who was responsible for lapse that led to that mismatched wedlock, at least the country isn’t responsible for it. Does Congress take responsibility for it? The Congress leaders need to tell do they agree with whatever Rahul Gandhi utters.”
The Mandsaur Lok Sabha member had more to add, “We don’t ask absurd questions like the Congress leader (Rahul Gandhi). But the Niti (policy) doesn’t permit that someone born to a foreign lady should interfere in affairs related to country’s governance and the country is already seeing the adverse effects of that interference.”
The BJP state spokesperson Rajneesh Agrawal, when questioned about the Mandsaur MP’s controversial speak, denied any comment.
On Friday – the first anniversary of the Pulwama attack which claimed lives of 40 CRPF jawans – the former Congress president Rahul Gandhi had tweeted, posing three questions. He had said in the tweet that “it needed to be asked while we remember the slain soldiers: who benefitted the most from the attack, what is the outcome of the inquiry into the attack and who in the BJP government has been held accountable for the security lapses that allowed the attack?”
The BJP MP from New Delhi seat Meenakshi Lekhi had responded, “Words used by Rahul Gandhi (on Pulwama attack) are appalling. First Congress needs to tell us who benefitted from Indira Gandhi's death. Who benefited from Rajiv Gandhi's death?”