During a meeting of the Parliamentary Consultative Committee of External Affairs, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi defended his recent statement in the UK where he mentioned that India’s democracy was “under attack”. The BJP had demanded an apology from Gandhi for his remarks, but he reiterated that he never sought foreign intervention on the issue. Gandhi also stated that he cannot be labelled as “anti-national” for expressing his views. The meeting was meant to discuss India’s G20 presidency, but it was marred by acrimonious exchanges between BJP and Congress members. BJP MP GVL Narasimha Rao cited various instances to support his claim that efforts were being made to undermine Indian democracy. Another BJP MP questioned Gandhi’s UK remarks without naming him. Shiv Sena’s Priyanka Chaturvedi argued that Indian democracy was strong and should not be deterred by random comments or documentaries. After the presentation on G20 by the foreign secretary, Gandhi intervened and said he wanted to respond to the BJP members who had spoken about him. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar urged Gandhi to reserve his remarks for Parliament, but Gandhi insisted on his right to respond. He also questioned the take that the Hindenburg report was an attack on Indian democracy and said it was about the financial dealings of a crony capitalist. The BJP has launched a major offensive against Gandhi and is demanding a public apology from him for insulting the country and its institutions on foreign soil.
