New Delhi: At his first appearance before the press a day after being ousted from Parliament, the disqualified Rahul Gandhi seemed more belligerent, as he appeared to challenge Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP.
Regarding his disqualification from the Upper House, he said it had come out of the fear that haunts PM Modi. Rahul Gandhi added that PM Modi feared his next speech in Parliament on Adani and that he could see the fear in the PM's eyes.
When asked about offering an apology for his Modi surname remark, Rahul Gandhi appeared argumentative and confident in defending his stance that he said he would never apologize. 'My name is not Savarkar, it is Gandhi and Gandhi never offers an apology,' he said.
Speaking at a press conference held at the AICC headquarters, Rahul Gandhi stated that he believed democracy had come to an end in India. According to him, the citizens of the country were no longer free to express their thoughts, and the country's institutions were being targeted.
Rahul Gandhi alleged that the root of this attack lay in the close relationship between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and industrialist Adani, which he claimed formed the foundation of the problem.
Rahul Gandhi accused the government of prioritizing Adani over the country, stating that "for this government, the country is Adani and Adani is country." He further claimed that the government was orchestrating a drama to protect the Prime Minister from a simple question: "Who did the Rs 20,000 crore go to in Adani's shell companies?" Rahul Gandhi asserted that he was not afraid of being arrested or disqualified.
In response, the BJP escalated its criticism of Rahul Gandhi, alleging that the Congress party was attempting to portray him as a victim for the sake of winning elections.
"He is not the only one, 32 leaders have been disqualified across the country, including six from the BJP. The Congress is trying to project Rahul Gandhi as a victim for electoral gains in Karnataka," said former Union minister Ravi Shankar Prasad.
Rahul Gandhi also refuted the BJP's allegations that he had sought foreign intervention in India's domestic affairs. He clarified that he had requested the Speaker to allow him to respond to the accusations made against him regarding his remarks in London, but his request was denied.
The BJP had accused him of aiding anti-India forces, to which Rahul Gandhi responded, "I have the right to defend myself against these allegations. My only objective is to fight for truth and uphold the democratic values of this country. Even if I am disqualified or imprisoned for life, I will continue to do so.
“Disqualify me, disqualify me for life. Put me inside the jail. I will keep going. I will not stop,” he said.