NEW DELHI: Odisha Congress president Bhakta Charan Das on Tuesday strongly objected to the Supreme Court's observation questioning Congress leader Rahul Gandhi over his remarks on Chinese incursion into Indian territory.
Das stated that Justice Dipankar Datta had “no business” questioning Gandhi’s “Indianness” simply for criticising the Modi government's handling of Chinese aggression.
“Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi isn’t allowed to question China in Parliament. If he does it on social media, he’s asked if he’s ‘truly Indian’. Justice Dipankar Datta had no business to question Rahul Gandhi's 'Indianness' for criticising the Modi Government’s failure on Chinese aggression,” Das wrote on X.
He added, “His father and grandmother sacrificed their lives for our country. What more proof of 'Indianness' do they seek?”
Former Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot also came to Gandhi’s defence, saying the Congress MP had not revealed any state secrets by stating that 2,000 km of Indian territory had been occupied by China.
“Rahul Gandhi did not divulge any secret. What he stated about intrusion and skirmishes in which 20 soldiers lost their lives is already in the public domain. The intrusion to the extent of about 2,000 km is reflected in credible sources, including the media and online reports,” Gehlot said on X.
He also noted that Ladakhi activist Sonam Wangchuk has long raised concerns over the Chinese incursion in the region.
The row follows a Supreme Court hearing where the bench of Justices Dipankar Datta and Augustine George Masih criticised Gandhi’s comments following the 2022 clash between Indian and Chinese troops in Arunachal Pradesh’s Yangtse region.
Justice Datta asked, “How do you get to know that 2,000 square kilometres of Indian territory was occupied by China? What is the credible material? If you are a true Indian, you would not say this.”
The bench further questioned why Gandhi chose to make such statements on social media instead of raising them in Parliament. Senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi, representing Gandhi, was asked to respond on this point.
