In a blistering counterattack, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has labeled Congress leader Rahul Gandhi as the chief of the ‘India Defamation Brigade’ following his controversial remarks on China. The spat erupted after Gandhi accused the Modi government of surrendering Indian territory to Beijing, prompting a fierce rebuttal from BJP spokespersons.
BJP’s national spokesperson Sambit Patra led the charge, accusing Gandhi of undermining India’s global image for political gains. ‘Rahul Gandhi has now become the head of the India Defamation Brigade,’ Patra declared during a press briefing in New Delhi. He pointed to Gandhi’s recent social media post where the Congress MP claimed that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had ‘surrendered’ 4,000 square kilometers of Indian land to China since 2020.
Patra dismissed these claims as ‘lies peddled by a dynast desperate for relevance.’ He highlighted India’s firm stance under Modi, including the construction of strategic infrastructure along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) and successful disengagement agreements with China. ‘While our soldiers guard the borders bravely, Rahul Gandhi is busy defaming the nation from abroad,’ Patra added, referencing Gandhi’s foreign trips.
The BJP leader also drew parallels to historical Congress failures, recalling Nehru’s ‘Hindi-Chini Bhai Bhai’ policy that allegedly led to the 1962 war debacle. ‘Congress has a legacy of weakness against China, but Modi ji has shown strength,’ he asserted.
Political analysts see this as part of the escalating pre-election rhetoric ahead of key state polls. Gandhi’s comments, made amid ongoing border tensions, have reignited debates on national security. The Congress has defended Rahul, calling BJP’s response a diversion from real issues like border infrastructure delays.
As the war of words intensifies, the public remains divided. BJP’s offensive aims to portray Congress as anti-national, while Rahul Gandhi continues to press for transparency on India-China border pacts. This episode underscores the high political stakes in framing narratives around national pride and security.
