‘That was simply who he was...’: Rohan Jaitley responds to Rahul Gandhi’s remark about his father
New Delhi: At the Annual Legal Conclave 2025, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi alleged that the late Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley had been sent to threaten him during his opposition to the Modi government's farm laws. Gandhi claimed Jaitley warned him against resisting the legislation, which he said he was determined to oppose.
The statement has triggered sharp criticism from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), especially since the three farm laws in question were passed in 2020, while Jaitley passed away in August 2019. BJP leaders, including Arun Jaitley’s son Rohan Jaitley, questioned Gandhi’s version of events, calling it factually inaccurate and disrespectful. “Let the departed rest in peace,” Rohan wrote on social media, adding that his father believed in dialogue and consensus, not threats.
Rahul Gandhi, however, did not clarify whether he was referring to the 2020 laws or to earlier reform efforts. Notably, the Modi government had introduced model farming Acts in 2017 and formed a committee of Chief Ministers in 2019 to push agricultural reforms. These pre-date Jaitley’s death and could possibly be the context Gandhi alluded to.
Another possibility is that Gandhi was referencing the Land Acquisition Bill of 2015, which sparked mass protests led by the Congress party. At the time, then Finance Minister Arun Jaitley encouraged states to pass their own versions of the Bill and seek Presidential assent under Article 254(2), as the central government lacked the numbers to pass it in Parliament. Gandhi had strongly opposed the bill, calling it anti-farmer.
The political exchange has revived debate over the contentious legislative changes in India’s agricultural policy landscape since 2014. While BJP leaders accuse Gandhi of distorting facts and politicising the legacy of deceased leaders, Congress supporters argue he was pointing to a broader timeline of farmer-related reforms opposed by the party over several years.
At the same conclave, Gandhi also launched a wide-ranging attack on the Election Commission of India, alleging large-scale voter fraud in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. He claimed that manipulation of over 70 seats altered the final outcome and said Congress would soon present proof of electoral rigging.
He further criticised what he described as the systematic dismantling of India’s constitutional architecture, asserting that the legal fraternity—historically the backbone of the Congress—must now defend the Constitution’s founding values.
The controversy over Gandhi’s remarks has added a fresh layer to the ongoing political tussle between the Congress and the ruling BJP, particularly as Parliament prepares for a turbulent Monsoon session.