Pune (Maharashtra) [India], December 23 : Minister of State for Civil Aviation, Murlidhar Mohol, on Tuesday launched a sharp attack on Congress leader Rahul Gandhi over his remarks made during a lecture in Berlin, Germany, accusing him of repeatedly insulting India and its constitutional institutions on foreign soil.
Mohol said Gandhi's comments reflected a consistent pattern of speaking negatively about the country whenever he travelled abroad.
Reacting to Rahul Gandhi's allegations of "vote chori" and unfair elections, Mohol said, "We cannot expect anything different from Rahul Gandhi. He has repeatedly insulted the Constitution. Whenever he goes abroad, he speaks negatively about the country. He expresses false and misleading views there."
He added that criticising India internationally goes beyond political ideology and is something every Indian would condemn.
Mohol further accused the Congress leader of aligning himself with forces that are hostile to India. "Rahul Gandhi is with those who are against India. Every time, he has tried to misrepresent India's ideology, culture, and Constitution," the minister said, reiterating that such statements damage the country's global image.
Rahul Gandhi, on a five-day visit to Germany, made the remarks during a lecture at the Hertie School in Berlin. The Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition alleged irregularities in the electoral process, claiming that the Congress had won the Haryana Assembly elections held the same year, which were "not fair." He also accused the Election Commission of failing to respond to complaints raised by his party.
During the lecture, Gandhi cited instances of alleged duplicate voters in electoral rolls and claimed that a Brazilian woman appeared multiple times on the voter list in Haryana. He further alleged a "full-scale assault" on India's institutional framework and accused the Centre of weaponising investigative agencies such as the ED and CBI to target Opposition leaders and intimidate businessmen.
Gandhi also claimed that the BJP enjoys disproportionate financial resources due to institutional capture and said the Congress would build a "system of resistance" against what he described as an attack on India's democratic framework.