“Want More MPs? Follow These Seven Steps”: Rijiju’s Dig at Congress
Parliamentary Affairs Minister takes a swipe at the Congress leader over his repeated debate challenge to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, urging changes in his political and parliamentary approach.
- Rijiju lists seven conditions he says could help Congress win more MPs.
- Minister asks Rahul Gandhi to avoid frequent foreign vacations and respect senior leaders.
- Rijiju urges Gandhi to take Parliament seriously and end dynastic politics.
- Remarks follow Gandhi’s renewed challenge to PM Modi for an open debate.
GG News Bureau
New Delhi, 5th Nov: Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju has issued a seven-point response to Rahul Gandhi’s repeated demands for an open debate with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, listing what he described as steps that could help the Congress win more seats in Parliament.
In a series of posts on X on Wednesday, Rijiju offered a pointed checklist for the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, advising him to spend more time in India, respect senior leaders and avoid meeting people he described as “anti-India”.
Rijiju’s seven-point advice included asking Gandhi to:
- Spend more time in India and avoid frequent “secret foreign vacations”.
- Respect senior leaders and learn from the experience of elders.
- Stop meeting “anti-India people” and promoting their agenda.
- End what Rijiju described as deep hatred towards the BJP, RSS and Prime Minister Modi, and treat the BJP as a political opponent rather than an enemy.
- Take Parliament more seriously and allow MPs to participate in debates and discussions.
- Respect the Constitution and constitutional institutions.
- Allow the Congress to function as a democratic party and end dynastic politics.
The minister’s remarks came amid an escalating political exchange between the BJP and Congress over Gandhi’s challenge to Modi for an open debate.
Earlier on Wednesday, Rijiju shared an old video clip from Parliament showing Opposition MPs walking out during his address. In the accompanying post, he questioned the Opposition’s commitment to parliamentary debate and discussion.
“Parliament is the house for debates and discussion. But people who don’t believe in democracy, debates and discussion are talking about debate,” Rijiju wrote.
In the video, he is heard questioning Opposition members over repeated disruptions and asking why they had wasted parliamentary time if they were unwilling to listen to his remarks.
Gandhi had renewed his challenge to Modi on Wednesday, claiming that he could prove within five minutes during an open debate that the Prime Minister was a “traitor”. The statement drew a sharp response from Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman.
A day earlier, Gandhi had also challenged Modi to debate his allegation that the Opposition was being branded “anti-national”. He questioned why no defamation case had been filed against him over his claim that the Prime Minister had come to power with foreign assistance.
Rijiju’s latest remarks add another layer to the ongoing political confrontation, with both sides questioning each other’s conduct and approach to parliamentary debate.
