‘Gandhis don’t want to mention..’: Smriti Irani targets Rahul, Cong in Lok Sabha
Smriti Irani launched an attack against the Congress over the alleged Chinese funding to media portal NewsClick and Rahul Gandhi’s ‘Mother India murdered in Manipur’ remark in the House
On the second day of the no-confidence debate in the Lok Sabha, Union minister Smriti Irani launched an attack against the Congress over the alleged Chinese funding to media portal NewsClick and Rahul Gandhi’s ‘Mother India murdered in Manipur’ remark in the House.
The minister said, “(Bharatiya Janata Party member of Parliament) Nishikant Dubey raised the issue of NewsClick. Congress didn’t say anything that it should be checked but they want his statement to be removed”.
A New York Times investigation claimed that NewsClick was part of the global network that received Chinese funding through American businessman Neville Roy Singham for pushing Chinese propaganda. NewsClick on Monday rejected the reports terming them as “unfounded and without basis in fact or law”.
Irani alleged that Neville Singh wrote to the journalists in India on how the news against India should be circulated. “The views of the tri-continental publication’s researchers, who write against the interests of the farmers, were given platform by Congress party on their official pages,” she added.
Also Read | Smriti Irani objects to Rahul Gandhi’s ‘flying kiss’ gesture: Only misogynist…
To counter Gandhi’s attack on the Centre for the violence in Manipur, Irani highlighted the issues of Kashmiri Pandit’s exodus, and Sikh riots under the Congress regime, amongst others.
She showed a photo of Girija Tikoo, a lab assistant who was gangraped in Kashmir during the exodus of Pandits from the Valley in the 1990’s. “The Gandhis don’t want to mention the Kashmiri Pandits. They don’t want to address the atrocities invoked on the original residents of J&K… When will Girija Tikku, Sarla Bhatt get justice?” she said.
She also touched upon the Article 370 issue saying, “It was mentioned in the House today that he (Rahul Gandhi) undertook a Yatra and gave assurance that they will reinstate Article 370 if it is up to them...I would like to tell the person who has run away from the House that neither will Article 370 be reinstated in the country nor will those who threaten Kashmiri Pandits with “Ralib Galib Chalib” be spared.”
The BJP MP from Amethi also brought up the issues of the 1984 anti-Sikh riots and atrocities on the Sikh community during Congress regimes at the Centre. Recounting the horrors of ‘Emergency’, she attacked Congress saying that the history of Congress is covered in blood.
“For the first time in Parliament, someone talked about the ‘murder of Bharat Mata’ and the Congress MPs clapped. The entire country has seen Congress leaders clapping, thumping desk when Rahul Gandhi spoke of the murder of Bharat Mata,” Irani said, referring to Rahul Gandhi’s remark on the murder of ‘Bharat Mata’ in Manipur.
Gandhi, who spoke just before Irani, said the ‘Mother India’ has been killed in Manipur and that the NDA government has bifurcated Manipur.
Further attacking the opposition alliance, the BJP MP said, “You are not India, for India is not corrupt. India believes in merit not in dynasty, and today of all the days people like you need to remember what was told to the British - Quit India. Corruption Quit India, Dynasty Quit India. Merit now finds place in India.”
