Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra launched a scathing attack on the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Friday following BJP leader Sambit Patra’s accusation that Rahul Gandhi, Leader of the Opposition, is a “traitor.” Priyanka firmly defended her brother, asserting that for Rahul, “nothing is above the country.”
Addressing reporters outside Parliament, Priyanka remarked that the accusation was not new, given that similar claims had been made against India’s past leaders. “Those who can call Jawaharlal Nehru, who spent 13 years in jail during the freedom struggle, a traitor, or Indira Gandhi, who broke Pakistan into two, a traitor, or Rajiv Gandhi, who sacrificed his life for the country, calling him a traitor is nothing new,” she said. “If they are doing the same to Rahul Gandhi, there is nothing surprising about it.”
Priyanka expressed pride in her brother’s patriotism, stating, “I am proud of my brother. For him, nothing is above the country.” She further pointed to Rahul Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Yatra, during which he walked 4,000 kilometers from Kanyakumari to Kashmir, as a demonstration of his commitment to national unity.
Additionally, Priyanka criticized the BJP for its refusal to discuss the Adani issue in Parliament. “They don’t have the courage to discuss the Adani issue. Why is there a problem in having a discussion? Discussion happens in a democracy, but they are afraid of it,” she said.
Earlier, on Thursday, BJP MPs K. Laxman and Sambit Patra referenced a report from the French media outlet Mediapart to target Rahul Gandhi. Patra alleged that Rahul, along with billionaire investor George Soros and agencies like the Organised Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP), were involved in a “dangerous triangle” aiming to destabilize India and foment public discontent to bring about a regime change. Patra went so far as to label Rahul Gandhi a “traitor of the highest order.”
The war of words between the Congress and BJP continues to intensify, with both parties accusing each other of undermining India’s democracy and sovereignty.
