New Delhi [India], July 28 : BJP MP Anurag Thakur on Monday launched a scathing attack on Congress MP and Leader of the Opposition (LoP) Rahul Gandhi during a debate on Operation Sindoor in the Lok Sabha, claiming India fought a "two-and-a-half front war" with the "half front" being the "Rahul-Occupied Congress."
"India fought on two and a half fronts, everyone knows about the two fronts, but in this half front, there is also a Rahul Occupied Congress," Anurag Thakur said.
"Look at the social media, in the last two months, Rahul Occupied Congress has made disgusting and insulting cartoons against the Prime Minister and the Indian Army...Rahul Occupied Congress called the Army chief a roadside goon. Rahul Gandhi should apologise to the entire country and the Indian Army..." Thakur said, referring to a remark by Congress leader Sandeep Dikshit in 2017, who had attacked the then Army Chief with "sadak ka gunda" jibe. Dikshit later withdrew his comment and issued an apology after facing criticism for the remark.
Anurag Thakur went on to target Congress MP Rahul Gandhi personally, calling him the "poster boy" of Pakistani propaganda.
"Let me tell you, the leader you talk about, twice the people of the country did not even give him enough votes to become the leader of the opposition... He has become LoB from LoP (Leader of Opposition). LoB stands for Leader Opposing Bharat. Opposing India and the Prime Minister is his agenda. I don't know whether he becomes the poster boy of Congress or not, but he has become the poster boy of Pakistan's propaganda", he said.
While referring to Congress MP P Chidambaram's recent remarks on Operation Sindoor, Thakur accused the party of questioning India's intelligence inputs.
"Today, discussion on Operation Sindoor was to take place in the House, but there was a competition among the leaders of Congress as to who should come forward as the closest friend and dearest to Pakistan. In the interview given by a former Home Minister yesterday, he said- If Pakistan did not have a hand in this, how can you say that the terrorists came from Pakistan?... Sometimes they call it Hindu terrorism, sometimes they come to defend Pakistan," he said.
The former Union Minister also accused the Congress of aligning with Pakistan's interests, saying, "There are so many big advocates of Pakistan in the Congress party today that Pakistan defends itself later, and Congress leaders come to defend them. The Pakistani army and the Pakistani government are using the brothers of Lashkar-e-Rahul in their favour... Although it is INC, but from their statements and actions, it looks like it has become Islamabad National Congress..."
Thakur also criticized the Opposition for their response to Defence Minister Rajnath Singh's statement in the House.
"Of all the opposition MPs who have spoken here till now, not even one MP has stood up and said that in this terrorist attack, people were asked about his religion and asked to recite Kalma, their pants were removed and then they were killed. Tell me what pain did the Opposition MPs have in saying this? When the Defence Minister was discussing the achievements of the Indian Army, there was no applause, no one was thumping the table..." he said.
The Lok Sabha on Monday afternoon began discussion on 'India's strong, successful and decisive Operation Sindoor, launched in response to the recent terrorist attack in Pahalgam. The debate was initiated by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh.