The BJP came down heavily on Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Friday after he did not take part in the Independence Day celebrations at Red Fort in Delhi, asking if the Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha was unwell.
BJP leader Shehzad Poonawalla claimed that Congress showed that it is not Indian National Congress, but rather the ‘Islamabad National Congress’.
“Leaders of the Opposition in both Houses of Parliament, Rahul Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge, boycotted the Independence Day celebrations. By doing so, they have boycotted the nation itself. These are the very reasons why the Supreme Court has observed that Rahul Gandhi does not speak the language of a citizen,” Poonawalla said.
Fellow BJP leader Amit Malviya, in a tweet, claimed that Gandhi, who was missing from the Independence Day celebrations at the Red Fort, “appeared visibly disoriented” during the celebrations at the Congress headquarters.
Malviya sought to know why Gandhi skipped the official ceremony, and said, “The nation deserves to know – is he well?”
“For someone in his position, such absence sends a poor message about his commitment to national occasions,” the BJP leader said.
What really happened?
However, a tweet from Congress leader Shama Mohamed clarified that the Congress leader got drenched during the celebrations.
“Attended the Independence Day celebration at Indira Bhawan, New Delhi. While we all held umbrellas, my leader @RahulGandhi Ji stood soaking in the rain without moving a step. Truly inspiring!,” she wrote.
The video of Rahul Gandhi singing the national anthem in the rain had gone viral.
Earlier in the day, Gandhi greeted people saying, “This freedom, achieved through the sacrifices of great freedom fighters, is a resolve to build an India where justice rests on the foundation of truth and equality, and every heart is filled with respect and brotherhood.”