‘First LoP Who Speaks Against India’: Kiren Rijiju Slams Rahul Gandhi Over Colombia Remarks

Union Minister Kiren Rijiju on Sunday launched a scathing attack on Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi for his recent remarks in Colombia, accusing the Congress leader of damaging India’s global image and undermining its democratic institutions on an international platform. Rijiju claimed that Gandhi was the first LoP in India’s history to defame the country while speaking abroad.In an interview with ANI, the Union Minister lambasted Gandhi’s comments, stating, “Show me one LoP who has ever gone outside India and made statements against the country or the Government.

Rahul Gandhi is the first LoP who goes abroad and speaks against the country, our system and our democracy.” Rijiju argued that such statements misrepresent the nation on the world stage, particularly Gandhi’s assertion that India “cannot become a global leader under current conditions.”The political firestorm erupted after Gandhi, speaking at an event at EIA University in Colombia, claimed that the “biggest challenge” India faces is the “attack on democracy taking place in India.”

He argued that while India has strong capabilities, this attack on its democratic structure poses a “major risk.” Gandhi stressed the importance of democracy for managing India’s vast diversity of languages and religions, stating, “We cannot do what China does: suppress people and run an authoritarian system.

Our design will not accept that.”The BJP responded fiercely to the comments, with Rijiju urging the Congress leader to be “mindful” while speaking in a foreign country where the “nation’s image is at stake.” The party accused Gandhi of being a “Leader of Propaganda” who habitually “goes abroad and attacks Indian democracy,” sparking a fresh political slugfest between the two national parties over the propriety of raising domestic political issues on foreign soil.