Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, on Tuesday launched a sharp attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, alleging that the prime minister was scared, frightened and “compromised” due to the fear of more revelations linked to the Epstein files and the case against industrialist Gautam Adani in the United States.
Speaking to reporters outside Parliament, Gandhi said he was once again not allowed to speak in the Lok Sabha during the discussion on the President’s Address. He claimed that the House had been adjourned for the fourth time since Monday only to stop him from raising certain issues. “The prime minister is scared of me speaking certain things, which he knows and I know,” Gandhi said.
He dismissed the controversy around former Army Chief General Manoj Naravane’s remarks as a distraction. “The Naravane issue is only a sideshow. The main issue is something else that the prime minister is afraid of,” he said.
Rahul Gandhi alleged that Prime Minister Modi had surrendered India’s interests by signing a trade deal with the United States under pressure. He claimed the deal harmed farmers and the country as a whole. “By signing this trade deal, the prime minister has sold out the blood and sweat of our farmers and betrayed the nation,” Gandhi said.
He pointed out that trade negotiations with the US had been going on for several months but were stalled, and questioned why the deal was suddenly signed on Monday evening. “The negotiations were pending for months. He signed it suddenly for reasons known only to him and Mr Modi,” he said.
The Congress leader suggested that the Epstein files and the legal case against Gautam Adani in the US were the prime minister’s biggest pressure points. He alleged that Modi had signed the trade deal under external pressure and not in India’s interest. “These are the two things he is most scared of,” Gandhi said.
On the Adani case, Gandhi claimed that although the case was officially against the businessman, the real target was the prime minister and the BJP. “Adani is directly connected to the BJP’s financial structure. The pressure is actually on Modi,” he alleged, adding that the prime minister’s carefully built public image could collapse at any time.
“The issue is not Naravane. He knows and I know what the real issue is. Our prime minister is compromised. The people of India must think who compromised him and how,” Gandhi said.
He also said that for the first time in the country’s history, a Leader of the Opposition was not being allowed to speak during the President’s Address debate. “The country should understand that the prime minister is compromised,” he repeated.
Earlier in the day, Gandhi had tabled an article related to General Naravane’s memoir on the 2020 Ladakh standoff with China. Despite this, he was interrupted and not allowed to speak, following which the presiding officer adjourned the House again.
Gandhi also objected to the use of the word “permission” by the presiding officer, saying that the Leader of the Opposition has the right to speak in Parliament.
