'We are India’: Rahul Gandhi hits back at PM Modi over his attack on Congress, I.N.D.I.A alliance

Senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday hit back at PM Narendra Modi after he said that the Opposition’s decision to use the word 'India' would not work as the “East India Company had also used India and India was also in the name of Indian Mujahideen”. 

Taking to Twitter, Gandhi said “call us what you want”, but “we are India” and “will rebuild the idea of India in Manipur”. 

"We will help heal Manipur and wipe the tears of every woman and child. We will bring back love and peace for all her people. We will rebuild the idea of India in Manipur," he further tweeted. 

Earlier in the day, PM Modi attacked the Opposition alliance -- Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (I.N.D.I.A.) -- as the most directionless front the country has ever seen and cited reviled names, such as East India Company and Indian Mujahideen. 

While speaking at the BJP's Parliamentary party meeting, PM Modi said that he had never seen such a “directionless opposition”.

He also slammed I.N.D.I.A as a 'negative' alliance built by the 'corrupt' to further dynastic politics - a frequent criticism of the Congress, casteism, and regionalism. 

Bharatiya Janata Party MP Ravi Shankar Prasad on Tuesday said PM Modi had said the Congress being founded by a foreign national. 

Speaking outside Parliament, Prasad also predicted the BJP would win a third term in the 2024 national election. “We are proud of our PM. We are coming back to power in 2024. PM Modi has given a statement that Indian National Congress, East India Company was founded by a foreign national," Prasad said. 

 

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge also reacted to Modi's jibe and urged him to make a "comprehensive" statement in both houses of Parliament on the violence in Manipur. 

The senior Congress leader said 83 days of unabated violence in Manipur require that the prime minister make a comprehensive statement in Parliament. 

"You are not seeing Act EAST Policy on North East, but you are seeing EAST India Company!
 Stories of absolute horror are now slowly trickling down. I.N.D.I.A demands answers from the Modi Government on Manipur violence," he said on Twitter. 

 Kharge said it was high time that Modi sheds his "ego" and takes the country into confidence on Manipur. 

"We demand a statement to be made by the prime minister in the House on the burning and emotive issue of Manipur which is adversely affecting the Indian democratic polity followed by a detailed and comprehensive discussion," Kharge said in his notice while pointing out that violence continues even after two months in the northeastern state. 

Also read: Income Tax dept sent 1 lakh notices over under-reported income, non-filing of returns: FM Nirmala Sitharaman

Also read: Meta, Google, Microsoft layoffs: MoS IT Rajeev Chandrasekhar says overestimation of demand led to post-COVID job cuts