Congress has defended Priyanka Gandhi on her statement on Union Minister Prahlad Joshi. KC Venugopal said that this is not a personal attack but a students’ issue. At the same time, other leaders have raised questions on Joshi’s alleged reaction in the Bilkis Bano case.
New Delhi [भारत]July 29 (ANI): Congress MP KC Venugopal on Wednesday defended party MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra’s remarks against Union Minister Pralhad Joshi, saying there was no personal attack in it and the Congress was only raising issues related to students and their parents.
Speaking to reporters here, Venugopal said the Congress was focusing on the concerns of students across the country and accused the government of resorting to counter-allegations when it had no answer. Venugopal said, “There is no personal attack in this. We are debating the issue of students in this country with full priority. Our concern is only for the students and parents of this country. We are raising this issue. They had no answer. When these people do not have an answer, they try to make counter allegations. Let them do that. No problem. We will raise the issue of students.”
Congress leaders supported Priyanka
Earlier, Congress MP Gurjit Singh Aujla on Wednesday supported the party’s Lok Sabha MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra’s remarks targeting newly appointed Union Minister Pralhad Joshi, saying Joshi should not run away from his alleged past reactions regarding the Bilkis Bano convicts. Speaking to ANI, Aujla alleged that Prahlad Joshi has neither spoken a word about the honor of Bilkis Bano’s rapists nor made any comment on the matter. Aujla said, “What Prahlad Joshi has said is that he is active on social media; perhaps he should first clarify whether it is actually him or not. So far, Prahlad Joshi has not said a word about the fact that Bilkis Bano’s rapists were honoured, nor has he commented on the matter. He has not given any reaction. He becomes uncomfortable when this matter is raised in the House. Don’t run away… everyone knows. That he honored the rapists of Bilkis Bano. If you give the education ministry to such a person, what message are you giving to the entire country?…”
Congress MP Shashi Tharoor also supported party leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra’s comments on Union Education Minister Pralhad Joshi’s comments on the Bilkis Bano case, saying it is “not good” to speak in favor of criminals. Speaking to reporters, Tharoor said, “Priyanka Gandhi has spoken on this. What she said in the Bilkis Bano case was bad. What happened to her was really sad. If you speak for their perpetrators, it is not good.”
Priyanka Gandhi stands by her statement
Meanwhile, Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Wednesday rejected allegations that her remarks inside the House were unparliamentary, and stood firm on her recent comments targeting Union minister Pralhad Joshi. Speaking to reporters, Vadra insisted that her statements were based on recorded facts and reflected what she called a systemic attitude towards women. She reiterated that she was not intimidated by parliamentary action or threats of sanctions.
The Congress leader further cited past incidents, including Pralhad Joshi’s induction of a man linked to the 2009 Mangalore pub attack into the BJP. She said, “What was unparliamentary about it? It was just the truth. If they want to punish me for speaking the truth, fine, I will speak the truth. You have seen that there are videos, and this is not just one example. Who inducted the person involved in the Mangalore pub attack on women into the BJP? Pralhad Joshi. He was expelled five hours later or whenever, but there is a picture of his involvement. This is just an isolated incident.” “No, but it reflects his attitude towards women.” (ANI)
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Asianetnews Editorial staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)