"Gandhis-Certified Culture": Smriti Irani On Barbs From Congress Leaders

Union Minister Smriti Irani today said she has no expectation of hearing an apology from Congress leaders for "insulting" the Indian Army.

Her counter-attack comes after Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and other party leaders questioned the government over not doing enough to contain China's aggression along the Line of Actual Control, or LAC.

"Why do Congress leaders feel that by abusing the military, those who fought for India's freedom and women leaders, they will make the Gandhi family happy?" Ms Irani told news agency ANI.

"What is the culture in Congress certified by the Gandhi family? All these abusive words against our leaders, me, Narendra Modi, army...they are regularly spoken in the Congress family. If the family likes it, why would their leaders apologise? It is the true face of the Congress," the union minister said.

Yesterday, Ms Irani hit back against a Congress leader's shocking "latkas" and "jhatkas" comment with a sharp takedown of the party. This was the incident that she referred to today while slamming Congress leaders for making abusive comments against women leaders.

"Heard one of your provincial leaders have announced in an indecent manner that you would contest from Amethi in 2024. So is it definite that you will contest from Amethi? You won't run off to another seat? You won't be afraid? PS: You and mummy ji need to get your misogynistic goons a new speechwriter," read a rough translation of her Hindi tweet.

Indian soldiers had recently stopped Chinese forces from unilaterally changing the LAC along Arunachal Pradesh.

After the incident, the Congress and other opposition leaders, including Mr Gandhi, had criticised the government for not putting enough effort to secure the LAC.

Mr Gandhi's comment on Friday last about China's war preparation while the Indian government is "asleep" and trying to ignore the threat was widely condemned by BJP leaders.

Law Minister Kiren Rijiju, who is from Arunachal Pradesh, tweeted in response to Mr Gandhi with a photo taken at Tawang in 2019 to say the place was secure. "Yangtse area in Tawang, Arunachal Pradesh is fully secured now due to adequate deployment of the brave jawans of Indian Army," Mr Rijiju wrote.

Though opposition leaders slammed Mr Rijiju's post as misleading, the Law Minister's supporters said he only posted a photo of the area to show the place and never claimed it is a current photo.

Foreign Minister S Jaishankar in parliament yesterday objected to Mr Gandhi's use of the word "pitai (beating)" in the context of the clashes between Indian and Chinese troops in Arunachal Pradesh's Tawang sector.