New Delhi [India], August 2 : Congress leader Bhupesh Baghel on Saturday accused the BJP of frequently invoking the names of Congress stalwarts like Indira Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru, and Rajiv Gandhi in their speeches.
He highlighted how the BJP often reference Congress leaders in their political discourse, while they are quick to criticise Rahul Gandhi for mentioning Arun Jaitley,
He mentioned that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had spoken about Operation Sindoor in the Lok Sabha, beginning and ending his speech with references to Pandit Nehru.
Speaking to ANI, Baghel stated, "We do not take the name of any deceased leader. Rahul ji took the name once, but how many times do these people mention Indira Gandhi, Pandit Nehru and Rajiv Gandhi? Their (BJP's) speeches start from there. Prime Minister Modi gave a speech on Operation Sindoor in the Lok Sabha, and the speech began and ended with Pandit Nehru..."
Baghel's remarks come amid the controversy surrounding Rahul Gandhi's claim about Arun Jaitley and the farm laws, which the BJP has vehemently denied, citing the timeline of Jaitley's passing and the introduction of the farm laws.
Gandhi's remarks drew sharp criticism from several BJP leaders and Arun Jaitley's son Rohan Jaitley.
Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman slammed the Lok Sabha LoP Rahul Gandhi over the remarks and said that such "irresponsible" remarks only hurt the Congress.
In a post on X, Sitharaman said, "If irresponsibility has a face, it is Rahul Gandhi, Leader of Opposition in LS. To throw baseless allegations at people in public life, even those who are no longer with us, is becoming a personality trait for him. His remarks on the late Shri. Arun Jaitley is despicable. India needs a strong opposition party. An irresponsible leadership hurts his party @INCIndia and the country. But does he care?"
BJP MP Anurag Thakur asked Rahul Gandhi to apologise over the remarks he made about the late Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley.
"Rahul Gandhi comes up with a new lie and a new propaganda every day. I want to remind Rahul Gandhi that Arun Jaitley died on 24th August 2019, and the farm laws were passed on 17th September 2020 and 20th September 2020 in Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha, respectively. When the Bill came, Arun Jaitley had already died. Rahul Gandhi should apologise to Arun Jaitley's family, BJP and the entire country," Anurag Thakur told ANI.
Arun Jaitley's son Rohan Jaitley reminded the Congress leader that his father died before the laws were even introduced, stating, "Let me remind him that my father passed away in 2019. The farm laws were introduced in 2020."
In a post on X, Rohan Jaitley wrote, "Rahul Gandhi now claims my late father, Arun Jaitley, threatened him over the farm laws. Let me remind him that my father passed away in 2019. The farm laws were introduced in 2020. More importantly, it was not in my father's nature to threaten anyone over an opposing view. He was a staunch democrat and always believed in building consensus."
Rohan Jaitley further said that his late father was always open to free and open discussions.
"If at all such a situation were to occur, as it often does in politics, he would invite free and open discussions to arrive at a mutually acceptable solution to all. That was simply who he was and that remains his legacy today. I would appreciate Rahul Gandhi being mindful while speaking of those not with us. He attempted something similar with Manohar Parrikar ji, politicising his final days, which was in equally poor taste. Let the departed Rest in Peace," Jaitley said on X.
Earlier in the day, while addressing the Annual Legal Conclave 2025, Rahul Gandhi, during his speech, claimed that the NDA government had sent the late Minister Arun Jaitley to "threaten" him for trying to fight against the farm laws introduced by the Modi government earlier.
"I remember when I was fighting the farm laws, Arun Jaitley was sent to me to threaten me. He told me, 'If you carry on opposing the government, fighting the farm laws, we will have to act against you. ' I looked at him and said 'I don't think you have an idea who you are talking to,'" Rahul Gandhi said.