New Delhi: Days after Congress leader Kapil Sibal questioned the need for a sedition law, Union Minister Smriti Irani dared his party President Rahul Gandhi to repeat the slogan ‘Bharat tere tukde honge” in public.
“The Congress President publicly stood with such forces (anti-India) and publicly supported the statement of ‘Bharat tere tukde honge’. Would they have guts to stand out in public and repeat that slogan against India and interests of India?” Irani told a press conference.
She said, on the one hand, the BJP led government at the Centre has resolved to ensure a strong and resurgent India, on the other, the Congress continued to support those who shouted, on the streets of the national capital, ‘Bharat tere tukde honge’.
She also refuted Congress leader P. Chidambaram’s charges on Rafale fighter jet deal and accused the opposition party of falsehood of political benefits.
“The Supreme Court has issued its statement, the Defence Minister has spoken on it, the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) has access to all files…for those who use this for their own political ends, yeh public hai sab janti hai (the public knows it all),” she said.
Chidambaram had earlier accused Prime Minister Modi of compromising national security in the Rafale deal by “denying” to the IAF 90 aircraft it desperately needed and “gifted” Dassault Rs 186 crore more per aircraft at the cost of the public exchequer in the deal it signed with France.
Asked about West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s rally in Kolkata, which is likely to be attended by various opposition leaders, Irani said that opposition parties are showing that they alone cannot fight BJP.
“From that platform, they are trying to reveal their failures as they don’t have guts to give us a fight,” she said quoting Prime Minister’s remarks that the country wants a “majboot” and not a “majboor” government.
On Kerala government being accused of lying to the Supreme Court where it shared details of 51 women who had entered Sabarimala, Irani said as a citizen, she will appeal to the apext court to look into the facts of the matter.
