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Union Minister Giriraj Singh on Thursday hit out at Congress leader Rahul Gandhi over his remarks targeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying the Congress was no longer the party it was during the independence movement and had become a "Maoist, Muslim Congress."
Speaking to ANI here ahead of the Council of Ministers meeting chaired by PM Modi, Singh dismissed suggestions that the high-level gathering had been convened in response to Rahul Gandhi's remarks. "This meeting is already decided. It is not that the Prime Minister will call a meeting on Rahul Gandhi's statement, the Council of Ministers keep meeting," he said. Launching a sharp attack on the Congress leader, Singh said, "Rahul Gandhi's ground has slipped in the country. Now, the Congress is no longer the same as it was at the time of independence. It has become a Maoist, Muslim Congress." He further accused Congress leaders of repeatedly abusing the Prime Minister and asserted that people continued to support PM Modi. "These people have abused Prime Minister Modi. No matter how much they abuse, the people of the country love Prime Minister Modi," he said. Targeting Rahul Gandhi personally, Singh said, "He is stuck in the quagmire of corruption, is on bail, and the language he used for Prime Minister Modi cannot be that of the Leader of the Opposition." He also defended the Prime Minister's leadership during national crises. "Prime Minister Modi has stood with the country in every crisis and will continue to do so in the future," the Union Minister added. The remarks came after Rahul Gandhi launched a sharp attack on Prime Minister Modi during a public meeting in Amethi, warning that an "economic storm" was approaching India due to the ongoing West Asia conflict and disruptions around the Strait of Hormuz. Rahul Gandhi had alleged that the Prime Minister failed to prepare the country for the crisis and took a swipe at PM Modi's recent interaction with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, saying he was "eating toffees with Meloni and making videos." The Congress leader also invoked his earlier criticism of demonetisation and the COVID-19 lockdown, claiming PM Modi would again "weep and fold his hands" before the country. Rahul Gandhi further repeated his "traitor" remark against PM Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah and said he would not apologise for it. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Modi is scheduled to chair a meeting of the Council of Ministers at Sewa Teerth in the national capital at 5 pm on Thursday. According to sources, the meeting is expected to serve as an important midterm review of the government's performance and comes amid rising global concerns over energy security and increasing fuel prices linked to the ongoing West Asia conflict and disruptions around the Strait of Hormuz. Fuel prices were recently increased across the country following global crude oil volatility amid tensions arising from the US-Israel-Iran conflict earlier this year. (ANI)
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