New Delhi: The German foreign ministry's concerns over Rahul Gandhi's disqualification from Parliament and senior Congress leader Digvijaya Singh's thankful response have triggered a heated debate between the Congress and BJP.
Falling into this debate, former Congress leader and senior advocate Kapil Sibal said there is no need for foreign support in our fight against the system.
In a tweet, Sibal said “we don't need endorsements from abroad. Our fight is our own and in that, we are together."
Digvijaya Singh's response to the German foreign affairs ministry spokesperson's comment, which said it had taken note of Rahul Gandhi's removal from the Lok Sabha, invited harsh criticism from BJP leaders including Nirmala Sitharaman, Kiren Rijiju, and Anurag Thakur.
However, Congress did not extend any support to Singh over the issue. Instead, a statement said that the Congress firmly believes that India's democratic processes must deal with the threats posed to our democracy by Modi's assault on our institutions and his politics of vendetta, intimidation, threats, and harassment. The party issued a statement amid the controversy.
“We have taken note of the verdict of the first instance against the Indian opposition politician Rahul Gandhi as well as the suspension of his parliamentary mandate. To our knowledge, Mr Gandhi is in a position to appeal the verdict," foreign affairs ministry spokesperson was heard saying in the clip that was shared on Twitter by Richard Walker the Chief International Editor of DW.
Following the criticism from Kiren Rijiju and Anurag Thakur, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman questioned whether there was any further evidence required to establish the Congress' desire for foreign interference in India's affairs.
Sitharaman referred to instances of the Congress party signing opaque Memorandum of Understandings (MoUs) with the Communist Party of China, seeking foreign help to change the government during their interactions abroad, and expressing gratitude when such help was forthcoming. "Do we need any more proof?" Sitharaman tweeted.