MP CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan rakes up Rajiv Gandhi to slam Rahul over China remarks; Kamal Nath seeks apology

'Rahul Gandhi's statement "Modi govt is sleeping while China is preparing for a war" has triggered a war of words between the BJP and Congress.

Bhopal: Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Saturday slammed Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's remarks that the Narendra Modi government was asleep while China was planning to attack the country. The Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party indulged in a verbal tussle as Chouhan also said smaller nations used to scare the country when Rahul Gandhi's father Rajiv Gandhi was prime minister (between 1984 and 1989). "When Rajiv Gandhi ji was the Prime Minister, the smaller countries of the world used to scare us. A glorious and powerful India is being built under the leadership of Prime Minister Shri @narendramodi ji. Rahul Gandhi ji, don't talk unrestrained, now no one can scare India," Chouhan said in a tweet.

Talking to reporters in Katni earlier, Chouhan said India's soldiers had given a befitting reply to the Chinese military, and advised Gandhi "not to insult our army". He also said Gandhi should recall 1962 (when India under Jawaharlal Nehru faced reverses in a border war with China) before speaking in such a manner.

Hitting back, MP Congress chief Kamal Nath said "the indecent language used by Shivraj Singh Chouhan in relation to former prime minister late Rajiv Gandhi does not suit the MP CM".

जब राजीव गांधी जी प्रधानमंत्री थे,तब हमें दुनिया के पिद्दी पिद्दी से देश डराते थे। आज प्रधानमंत्री श्रीमान @narendramodi जी के नेतृत्व में एक वैभवशाली, गौरवशाली, शक्तिशाली भारत का निर्माण हो रहा है। राहुल गांधी जी अनर्गल बातें ना करें,अब भारत की ओर कोई आंख उठाकर नहीं देख सकता है।

— Shivraj Singh Chouhan (@ChouhanShivraj) December 17, 2022

"Rajiv Gandhi, who sacrificed everything for the pride of Mother India, will always be the ideal of this country." Nath said, adding Chouhan must study history to find out about the military's valour when Rajiv Gandhi was PM.

As part of political vendetta, Chouhan is not only insulting Rajiv Gandhi but also the military of the country, for which he must apologise, Nath further asserted.

शिवराज सिंह चौहान जी ने पूर्व प्रधानमंत्री स्वर्गीय श्री राजीव गांधी के संबंध में जिस अशोभनीय भाषा का प्रयोग किया है, वह मध्य प्रदेश के मुख्यमंत्री को शोभा नहीं देता। भारत माता की आन बान शान के लिए अपना सर्वस्व निछावर करने वाले श्री राजीव गांधी हमेशा इस देश के आदर्श रहेंगे।

— Kamal Nath (@OfficeOfKNath) December 17, 2022

Addressing the press on the sidelines of his Bharat Jodo Yatra on Friday, Rahul Gandhi had claimed China was preparing for war, while the Indian government was asleep and trying to ignore the threat.