Afghanistan Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi’s press conference with no women journalists sparked a political row in the national politics, as Congress leaders, Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi, questioned Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the episode.
It started with Wayanad MP Priyanka Gandhi’s X post, in which she asked the Prime Minister to clarify his position on the alleged removal of the female journalists from Muttakki’s press briefing.
She said, “Prime Minister Narendra Modi ji, please clarify your position on the removal of female journalists from the press conference of the representative of the Taliban on his visit to India”.
Rahul Gandhi takes dig at PM Modi
Reacting to Priyanka’s post, Lok Sabha LoP, Rahul Gandhi slammed PM Modi, saying that the incident showed his weakness and emptiness in Nari Shakti slogans.
He said, “Mr. Modi, when you allow the exclusion of women journalists from a public forum, you are telling every woman in India that you are too weak to stand up for them. In our country, women have the right to equal participation in every space. Your silence in the face of such discrimination exposes the emptiness of your slogans on Nari Shakti”.
BJP responds to Congress claims
Amid backlash from the top brass of Congress, BJP spokesperson Pradeep Bhandari responded sharply calling Congress the best friend of Pakistan. Bhandari added that Gandhi is batting for Pakistan by spreading fake news.
He said, “Pakistan and Rahul Gandhi are rattled seeing India and Afghanistan come closer strategically! Yet again Rahul Gandhi is batting for Pakistan by spreading fake news!”
In his post, Bhandari quoted the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations to trash the Gandhi siblings’ claims.
“Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations,1961 Article 22 declared embassy land as “inviolable” belongs to the embassy. The Gandhi Vadra family is supporting the Pakistani narrative by opposing India-Afghanistan relations,” Bhandari added.