‘Congress weakened India till 2014’: Rijiju calls Modi ‘strongest PM’, slams Rahul Gandhi in LS

New Delhi: Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju on Wednesday launched a sharp attack on the Congress in the Lok Sabha, saying the party had “weakened the nation till 2014” and is now uncomfortable with India’s progress under Prime Minister Narendra Modi, whom he described as the “strongest Prime Minister” of the country.

Responding to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s claim that the Prime Minister had “sold the nation to the US,” Rijiju said, “Koi mai ka laal paida nahi hua jo hamare desh ko bech de,” meaning, “No one has been born who can sell this country.”

Earlier, Rijiju had also criticised Gandhi over his remarks related to former Army Chief General MM Naravane’s memoir, urging him not to use national security as a “political weapon.”

“I cannot teach lessons to Rahul Gandhi. I can't understand what world he lives in. What ideology drives his actions? Senior members of Congress should explain to him that Parliament cannot function like this. Don't behave like children here. Our country is huge, and security is a significant issue. It's not right to use our security as a political weapon and undermine anyone's dignity,” Rijiju told reporters outside Parliament.

Congress MP KC Venugopal, however, defended Gandhi, saying his remarks were accurate and accusing the government of avoiding accountability.

The row erupted after Gandhi cited Naravane’s yet-to-be-published book Four Stars of Destiny during the Budget Session to raise questions over the 2020 India-China standoff.

Publisher Penguin Random House India and Gen Naravane later clarified that the book has not been officially released yet.