Pragya Thakur Attacks Rahul Gandhi, Says 'He Is Not From India Because...'

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has been facing BJP's ire over his recent remarks against the Narendra Modi-led government in the UK.

New Delhi: Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Pragya Thakur on Saturday (March 11, 2023) launched a scathing attack on Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and said he has "proved" Chanakya's saying -- "son born to a foreign woman can never be a patriot" -- was true. She also said that the former Congress president must be "thrown out of the country" for some his remarks made on foreign soil. Gandhi had this week told British parliamentarians in London that functioning microphones in the Lok Sabha are often silenced against the Opposition. He had also slammed the Narendra Modi-led government for the alleged attack on Indian democracy.

"We have assumed you are not from India because your mother (Sonia Gandhi) is from Italy," Thakur, who is better known as Sadhvi Pragya and is a Lok Sabha MP from Madhya Pradesh capital Bhopal, said.

"More work will be done if Parliament functions smoothly. (But) If there is more work, then they (Congress) will not survive. Their (Congress) existence is on the verge of ending. Now their mind is also getting corrupted," she added.

"You (Rahul Gandhi) are a leader of this country, have been elected by the people (here), and are now insulting the public. While sitting abroad, you (Rahul Gandhi) are saying you are not getting an opportunity to speak in Parliament. Nothing can be more shameful than this. He should not be given a chance in politics and should be thrown out of the country," Thakur said.

#WATCH | While sitting abroad, you (Rahul Gandhi) are saying you are not getting an opportunity to speak in Parliament. Nothing can be more shameful than this. He should not be given a chance in politics& should be thrown out of the country: BJP's Pragya Thakur, in Bhopal (11.03) pic.twitter.com/ZBDrZFjepx — ANI (@ANI) March 12, 2023

Earlier this week, Rahul Gandhi told British parliamentarians that functioning microphones in the Indian Parliament are often silenced against the Opposition.

During an event organised by veteran Indian-origin Opposition Labour Party MP Virendra Sharma in the Grand Committee Room within the House of Commons in London, he used a faulty microphone in the room to make his point about what he described as a "stifling" of Opposition in India.

"Our mics are not out of order, they are functioning, but you still can't switch them on. That's happened to me a number of times while I am speaking," Gandhi told the gathering, in response to a question about sharing his experience of being a politician in India with his British counterparts.

The Wayanad MP stated that they were not allowed to discuss demonetisation, which he said was a "disastrous financial decision". He also claimed that the Opposition leaders were not allowed to discuss several topics including the GST.

"Chinese troops entering Indian territory -- we were not allowed to discuss. I remember a Parliament where there were vibrant discussions, heated debates, arguments, and disagreements but we had a conversation. And, that's frankly what we miss in Parliament. We have to use debates to fit in other debates. There is a stifling that is going on," the former Congress chief said.

"This idea that the BJP is unbeatable is a narrative that is being created. It was the same narrative in the media in 2004, about India shining and when the result came it was a shock for the BJP. So, I don't buy the narrative in the media. I listen to the people on the ground," he said, adding that he is "pretty confident" of bringing the Opposition together on one platform.

When asked about his "hopes and dreams" for India, he said that the "future of India is very good as long as we can take care of this turbulent period we are going through where our structures are being attacked".

Shri @RahulGandhi had an insightful interaction with UK’s Members of Parliament, respected academics, journalists, community leaders and leaders of the Indian Overseas Congress at the Grand Committee Room, UK Parliament, earlier today. pic.twitter.com/cqSPRIAALR — Congress (@INCIndia) March 6, 2023

"It is in the DNA of our country to be affectionate," he added.

Earlier last week, Rahul Gandhi had also given a lecture on "Learning to Listen in the 21st century" at the Cambridge Judge Business School and listed five key aspects of the alleged attack on Indian democracy -- capture and control of media and judiciary; surveillance and intimidation; coercion by federal law enforcement agencies; attacks on minorities, Dalits and tribals; and shutting down of dissent.

Referencing a decline in manufacturing in democratic countries such as India and the US in recent years as production shifted to China, the former Congress President said the shift had produced mass inequality and anger which needed urgent attention and dialogue.

"We simply cannot afford a planet that doesn't produce under democratic systems," the 52-year-old, who is on a week-long tour of the UK, had said.