New Delhi:

Congress MP Rahul Gandhi has paid tribute to the four soldiers killed on Monday in an encounter with terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir’s Doda. “Today, our soldiers were martyred in another terrorist encounter in Jammu and Kashmir. I pay my humble tribute to the martyrs and express my deepest condolences to the bereaved families,” he posted in Hindi on X Tuesday morning.

Mr Gandhi, who is also the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, said the number of such attacks on Indian soldiers in J&K in the past few months is “extremely sad and worrying”.

He also hit out at the government for the “poor condition of Jammu and Kashmir” and said the soldiers there are “bearing the brunt of the BJP’s wrong policies”. The “wrong policies” reference has been seen as an attack on the Modi government over the scrapping of Article 370 in J&K.

“It is the demand of every patriotic Indian that the government should take full responsibility for repeated security lapses,” Mr Gandhi said and called for “strict action” against the terrorists.

आज जम्मू कश्मीर में फिर से एक आतंकी मुठभेड़ में हमारे जवान शहीद हो गए। शहीदों को विनम्र श्रद्धांजलि अर्पित करते हुए शोक संतप्त परिजनों को गहरी संवेदनाएं व्यक्त करता हूं।

एक के बाद एक ऐसी भयानक घटनाएं बेहद दुखद और चिंताजनक है।

लगातार हो रहे ये आतंकी हमले जम्मू कश्मीर की जर्जर…

— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) July 16, 2024

However, Mr Gandhi also underlined the need for political unity at this time, and the importance of the opposition supporting the government as it responds to the increased terror threat.

“In this hour of grief, the entire country stands united against terrorism,” he said.

Four soldiers, including an officer, were killed in action in Doda district. The terrorists had attacked a joint operation – of the Army and J&K Police – formed to track them down.

READ | 4 Soldiers Killed In Action In Encounter With Terrorists In J&K’s Doda

Contact was made late Monday night, the Army had said.

The operation is ongoing, NDTV has been told.

Sources told NDTV Defence Minister Rajnath Singh spoke to Army chief General Upendra Dwivedi and took stock of the ground situation and ongoing operation in Doda.

This was the second major encounter in the Jammu region after five soldiers were killed in action in Kathua last week. That attack, in which five were also injured, was a coordinated strike on two trucks – with grenades and armour-piercing bullets, and an American-made assault rifle.

READ | Kathua Terror Attack On 2 Trucks, Armour-Piercing Bullets Used

The attacks, which began in Poonch and Rajouri, have now spread across Jammu, a region that was free from terrorism till a few years ago. In the last 32 months, 48 soldiers have been killed.

Earlier this month Prime Minister Narendra Modi said in Parliament the fight against terrorism in J&K is in its last stage, and that a multi-pronged strategy had been adopted to destroy the remaining network. “Our fight against terrorism in J&K, in a way, is in last stage, last leg. We are moving with a multi-pronged strategy to eliminate the remaining terror network there,” he said.

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New Delhi:

Congress MP Rahul Gandhi – whose scorching speech in Parliament Monday, which triggered a furious pushback from the BJP and interventions, twice, from Prime Minister Narendra Modi – wrote to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla this morning to question the expunging of parts of that address.

Mr Gandhi acknowledged the Speaker’s authority to “expunge certain remarks” but argued this power ought only to be exercised to strike out “those kinds of words… the nature of which have been specified in Rule 380 of the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in the Lok Sabha”.

“I am, however, shocked to note the manner in which considerable portions of my speech have been simply taken off from the proceedings under the garb of expunction. I am enclosing relevant portions of uncorrected Debates of Lok Sabha dated July 2… constrained to state the portions expunged do not come under the ambit of Rule 380,” the Congress leader told Mr Birla.

“What I sought to convey in the House is ground reality… the factual position… every member of the House who personifies the collective voice of the people whom he or she represents has freedom of speech…. it is every member’s right to raise people’s concerns on the floor of the House.”

“I am writing this in the context of remarks and portions expunged from my speech during discussion on Motion of Thanks on the President Address on 1 July 2024.”

Here is LoP Shri @RahulGandhi‘s letter to the Speaker of the Lok Sabha. pic.twitter.com/3Cepk0TtMy

— Congress (@INCIndia) July 2, 2024

“It is that right… I was exercising yesterday. Taking off from records my considered remarks goes against the very tenets of parliamentary democracy,” Mr Gandhi wrote.

The Congress leader also flagged a speech by Union Minister Anurag Thakur, which he said was “full of allegations” had only seen one word removed. “… This selective expunction defies logic,” he said.

“Lie And If You Get Fact-Checked…”

BJP leader Shehzad Poonawalla has responded to Rahul Gandhi’s letter, accusing the Congress MP of playing the “victim card” and claiming “crores of Hindus are violent”.

#WATCH | Delhi: On Congress MP Rahul Gandhi’s letter to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, BJP leader Shehzad Poonawalla says, “There is a new trend in Rahul Gandhi’s world. Lie, and if you get fact-checked, play the victim card… Congress Party is writing letters and saying out loud… pic.twitter.com/vUEpLXMSGd

— ANI (@ANI) July 2, 2024

“There is a new trend in Rahul Gandhi’s world. Lie, and if you get fact-checked, play victim card. The Congress is writing letters and saying out loud ‘Hindus are violent’. They are standing with this statement. They are saying crores of Hindus are ‘violent. This is that section which cannot speak ‘Islamist terror’… but they speak (of) ‘Hindu terror’… ” Mr Poonawalla raged.

Rahul Gandhi’s Parliament Speech

Sections of Mr Gandhi’s first speech as the Leader of the Opposition were struck down this morning, including comments about Mr Modi and the BJP, and the latter’s ideological mentor, the RSS.

READ | To Rahul Gandhi’s Jab At BJP, A Response From RSS

Comments about alleged irregularities in the NEET medical entrance tests and the Agnipath military recruitment scheme (he was fact-checked by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh) were also removed.

READ | BJP Alleges Rahul Insulted Hindus, Parts Of Speech Expunged

Among other points raised, Mr Gandhi had demanded an immediate debate on the NEET row.

Mr Gandhi’s no-holds-barred jabs provoked Mr Modi – who does not usually intervene when an opposition leader is speaking in Parliament – to stand up twice.

BJP Hits Back At Rahul Gandhi

The BJP’s immediate fightback also included Home Minister Amit Shah demanding an apology, while his cabinet colleagues Kiren Rijiju and Ashwini Vaishnaw led a considered rebuttal in the evening.

READ | 2 Ministers, MP Lead Fightback Against Rahul Gandhi’s Speech

Mr Vaishnaw and Mr Rijiju, and Rajya Sabha MP Sudhanshu Trivedi, accused Mr Gandhi of belittling his post and of making an “extremely irresponsible speech” that inflicted a “grave insult” on Hindus.

Mr Modi is due to respond to Rahul Gandhi’s speech; he will speak in the Lok Sabha this evening and is expected to address the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday.

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New Delhi:
After Rahul Gandhi’s fiery speech in Parliament yesterday, in which he launched a scathing attack on BJP – large portions of which have been expunged from official records – the stage is set for Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s anticipated response

Here are 10 points on this big story:

New Delhi:

As the Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi will participate in the appointment process for key officials such as the CBI director, the Chief Election Commissioners, National Human Rights Commission chairperson and the Chief Vigilance Commissioner.

Mr Gandhi today took over as Leader of the Opposition in the lower House — a position that was vacant for the past 10 years because no Opposition party met the minimum strength criterion for the post. In the past two Lok Sabhas, Congress’s Mallikarjun Kharge and Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury were leaders of the Congress in the House.

On the selection panels for most of these appointments, the government has a 2-1 advantage, as it comprises the Prime Minister and a Union Minister. But as Leader of the Opposition, Mr Gandhi will have a say. 

The 54-year-old leader is the third member of the Gandhi family to become the Leader of the Opposition. His father and former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi was Leader of the Opposition fron 1989-90 when the VP Singh government was in power. His mother and former UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi occupied the post from 1999-2004 when the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government was in power.

As a Leader of the Opposition, Mr Gandhi will enjoy the rank of a cabinet minister and get an office and staff in the Parliament building.

In his first House appearance in his new role, Mr Gandhi switched to a white kurta-pajama combo, dissing the white t-shirt-trouser look he is usually seen in. In a rare moment of bonhomie between the Opposition and the treasury benches, Mr Gandhi walked up to Mr Birla and congratulated him. He also shook Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s hand and the two leaders, along with Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju, escorted the Speaker to his chair.

Addressing the House, Mr Gandhi congratulated Mr Birla on his election, but also sent across a message from the Opposition. He said the Lok Sabha Speaker is the final arbiter of the voice of the people, and the Opposition this time represents that voice significantly more than the last time.

“The Opposition would like to assist you in doing your work. We would like the House to function. It is very important that cooperation happens on the basis of trust. It is very important that the voice of the Opposition is allowed to be represented in this House.”

“The question is not how efficiently the House is run. The question is how much of India’s voice is being allowed to be heard. So the idea that you can run the House efficiently by silencing the voice of the Opposition is a non-democratic idea. And this election has shown that the people of India expect the Opposition to defend the Constitution,” he said.

“We are confident that by allowing the Opposition to speak, you will do your duty of defending the Constitution,” Mr Gandhi said.

The Congress leader was elected from two seats this time — Rae Bareli in Uttar Pradesh and Wayanad in Kerala. He has vacated the Kerala seat, and his sister and Congress colleague Priyanka Gandhi Vadra will contest the bypoll that follows. 

Mr Gandhi’s return to the House and his elevation as the Leader of the Opposition is also significant against the backdrop of his disqualification as a Lok Sabha MP last year following a conviction in a defamation case. He returned to the House after the Supreme Court paused the conviction.  

New Delhi:

Congress MP Rahul Gandhi on Monday responded to criticism by Prime Minister Narendra Modi about his use of the word ‘shakti‘ – a reference to the feminine divine energy – when describing the opposition’s bid to defeat the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party in the April/May Lok Sabha election.

The PM and the BJP had accused Mr Gandhi and the opposition, including the Congress-led INDIA bloc, of wanting to destroy ‘shakti‘, and extended the comment to “…denying the existence of Lord Ram”. “I accept their challenge. I will sacrifice my life,” the PM said in Telangana’s Jagtial.

Mr Gandhi then counter-accused the PM of “always trying to change the meaning of my words by twisting them in some way or the other”, and said he had spoken about a “power (or ‘shakti‘) that has captured institutions, media, industry, and the entire constitutional structure of India”.

“… he (PM Modi) knows I have spoken a deep truth. The power that I mentioned, the power that we are fighting… the mask of that power is Modiji. This is such a power that has captured institutions… the Central Bureau of Investigation, the Enforcement Directorate, the Income Tax Department, the Election Commission, the media, and the entire constitutional structure of India,” he declared.

मोदी जी को मेरी बातें अच्छी नहीं लगतीं, किसी न किसी तरह उन्हें घुमाकर वह उनका अर्थ हमेशा बदलने की कोशिश करते हैं क्योंकि वह जानते हैं कि मैंने एक गहरी सच्चाई बोली है।

जिस शक्ति का मैंने उल्लेख किया, जिस शक्ति से हम लड़ रहे हैं, उस शक्ति का मुखौटा मोदी जी हैं।

वह एक ऐसी शक्ति…

— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) March 18, 2024

“I recognise that power… Modiji also recognises that power. This is not religious power. It is the power of corruption and falsehood. And this is why, whenever I raise my voice against him, Modiji gets upset and enraged,” Mr Gandhi thundered at a ‘Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra’ event in Mumbai.

READ | “Misogynistic”: Rahul Gandhi’s ‘Shakti’ Remark Rally Sparks Row

Mr Gandhi was seen as referring to claims by the opposition that the BJP uses central agencies, like the CBI, ED and Income Tax Department, to target and intimidate rivals, particularly before an election.

Mr Gandhi also spoke about a “senior (Maharashtra political) leader” who quit the Congress.

“Weeping… he told my mother (Congress matriarch Sonia Gandhi), ‘Soniaji, I’m ashamed to say, I do not have the power to fight this people, this force. I do not want to go to jail’.”

The “senior leader” was seen by many to be ex-Maharashtra Chief Minister Ashok Chavan, who last month swapped the Congress for the BJP, and got a Rajya Sabha nomination, within 48 hours. Mr Chavan this morning, however, issued a statement refusing talk Mr Gandhi was referring to him.

READ | Ashok Chavan On Rahul’s “Weeping Senior Leader Who Quit” Jab

Mr Chavan has three cases pending against him; two are linked to the 2010 Adarsh Cooperative Housing Society scam, which led to his resignation as Chief Minister.

In a response on X (formerly Twitter), Mr Gandhi also said the PM had waived loans worth thousands of crores while farmers commit suicide over repay debts of a few thousands.

The Congress leader also referred to earlier “crony capitalism” attacks on the Prime Minister and the BJP, and claimed Mr Modi had “auctioned the country’s property to increase that power” while poor Indians live in poverty and suffer through an ongoing cost-of-living crisis.

The Prime Minister wasn’t the only BJP figure to lash out at Mr Gandhi; BJP spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla accused the Congress MP of expressing “misogynistic” views.

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New Delhi:

Congress MP Rahul Gandhi pulled no punches at an event in France on Sunday, declaring that the Bharatiya Janata Party and its ideological mentor, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, “have nothing to do with Hinduism” and that “there is nothing Hindu about what the BJP does…”

“I have read the Gita, a number of the Upanishads and many Hindu books… absolutely nothing Hindu about it (the BJP)… I have not read anywhere in any Hindu book, or heard from any learned Hindu person, that you should terrorise or harm people weaker than you.”

“This idea… this word – ‘Hindu nationalist’ – this is a wrong word. They are not ‘Hindu nationalists’… they have nothing to do with Hinduism,” Mr Gandhi emphasised.

I have read the Gita, Upanishads and many Hindu books. There is nothing Hindu about what the BJP does—absolutely nothing.

I have not read anywhere in any Hindu book or heard from any learned Hindu person that you should terrorize or harm people who are weaker than you.

They… pic.twitter.com/mEj2vOrAxq

— Congress (@INCIndia) September 10, 2023

Interacting with students at Paris’ Sciences PO University, he ripped into the government, which has been widely criticised for suppressing opposition leaders’ voices within the country, accusing them of being “out to gain power at any cost”.

“They (BJP and RSS) have nothing to do with Hinduism. They are out to gain power at any cost… and will do anything to ensure the caste structure and social structure of my country is not threatened,” he said.

“They seek the dominance of a few… that is what they are about.”

Mr Gandhi’s comments came after a question about the “scary radicalisation of youth by Hindutva forces”. This is not the first time he has attacked the BJP on this topic. In 2021, he called them “fake Hindus” who “use” religion for their benefit.

READ | BJP, RSS Are “Fake Hindus”, They “Use” Religion, Says Congress’s Rahul Gandhi

The jabs invited a predictably furious response with BJP Lok Sabha MP Tejasvi Surya taunting his rival for “crying… while Bharat achieves global consensus” – a reference to the “100 per cent” declaration from the weekend’s G20 meet.

READ | G20 Pact Unveiled, “100% Consensus”, Including On Ukraine: 10 Points

The very fact Rahul Gandhi thinks Hinduism is practiced by referring to ‘books’ shows how shallow his understanding of our dharma,” Mr Surya gloated on X (formerly Twitter).

The very fact that Rahul Gandhi thinks that Hinduism is practiced by referring to ‘books’ shows how shallow his understanding of our dharma.

That he has been reduced to crying before a handful of people in some far away European city while Bharat is achieving global consensus… https://t.co/TZk2VmmC6w

— Tejasvi Surya (@Tejasvi_Surya) September 10, 2023

“That he has been reduced to crying before a handful of people in some far away European city, while Bharat is achieving global consensus at G20, is telling of how the nation has rejected his brand of politics in the last decade,” he declared.

And Then The ‘Sanatan Dharm’ Row

Mr Gandhi’s jabs also come amid a fight over Tamil Nadu minister Udhayanidhi Stalin’s comment about ‘Sanatan Dharm’, which the BJP and right-wing commentators have claimed is a “call for the genocide of people with Sanatan thoughts”.

Earlier this month Mr Stalin said, “Sanatana (Dharma) ought to be eradicated like malaria, dengue and mosquito…”

An apoplectic BJP hit back, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and several members of his cabinet and party targeting him. Mr Stalin was even the target of a Rs 10 crore bounty allegedly issued by a temple priest in Uttar Pradesh’s Ayodhya.

READ | “Even As We Launch Chandrayaan”: MK Stalin Defends Son In “Sanatan Dharma” Row

Mr Gandhi has not, so far, responded directly to this controversy, although his party has, flip-flopping between support and criticism. Karnataka minister Priyank Kharge disavowed any religion that does not treat all people as equals. However, Congress boss Mallikarjun Kharge, his father, seemed to want distance, declaring “there is no need to mix religion, politics”.

New Delhi:

Congress MP Rahul Gandhi hit out at the Bharatiya Janata Party and its ideological mentor, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh on Sunday, declaring neither “have nothing to do with Hinduism” and that “there is nothing Hindu about what the BJP does…”. Mr Gandhi was at an event in France on Sunday, when he said, “I have read the Gita, a number of the Upanishads and many Hindu books… absolutely nothing Hindu about it (the BJP)… “

“I have not read anywhere in any Hindu book, or heard from any learned Hindu person, that you should terrorise or harm people weaker than you. This idea… this word – ‘Hindu nationalist’ – this is a wrong word. They are not ‘Hindu nationalists’… they have nothing to do with Hinduism,” Mr Gandhi emphasised.

I have read the Gita, Upanishads and many Hindu books. There is nothing Hindu about what the BJP does—absolutely nothing.

I have not read anywhere in any Hindu book or heard from any learned Hindu person that you should terrorize or harm people who are weaker than you.

They… pic.twitter.com/mEj2vOrAxq

— Congress (@INCIndia) September 10, 2023

Interacting with students at Paris’ Sciences PO University, he ripped into the government, which has been widely criticised for suppressing opposition leaders’ voices within the country, accusing them of being “out to gain power at any cost”.

“They (BJP and RSS) have nothing to do with Hinduism. They are out to gain power at any cost… and will do anything to ensure the caste structure and social structure of my country is not threatened,” he said.

“They seek the dominance of a few… that is what they are about.”

Mr Gandhi’s comments came after a question about the “scary radicalisation of youth by Hindutva forces”. This is not the first time he has attacked the BJP on this topic. In 2021, he called them “fake Hindus” who “use” religion for their benefit.

READ | BJP, RSS Are “Fake Hindus”, They “Use” Religion, Says Congress’s Rahul Gandhi

The jabs invited a predictably furious response with BJP Lok Sabha MP Tejasvi Surya taunting his rival for “crying… while Bharat achieves global consensus” – a reference to the “100 per cent” declaration from the weekend’s G20 meet.

READ | G20 Pact Unveiled, “100% Consensus”, Including On Ukraine: 10 Points

The very fact Rahul Gandhi thinks Hinduism is practiced by referring to ‘books’ shows how shallow his understanding of our dharma,” Mr Surya gloated on X (formerly Twitter).

The very fact that Rahul Gandhi thinks that Hinduism is practiced by referring to ‘books’ shows how shallow his understanding of our dharma.

That he has been reduced to crying before a handful of people in some far away European city while Bharat is achieving global consensus… https://t.co/TZk2VmmC6w

— Tejasvi Surya (@Tejasvi_Surya) September 10, 2023

“That he has been reduced to crying before a handful of people in some far away European city, while Bharat is achieving global consensus at G20, is telling of how the nation has rejected his brand of politics in the last decade,” he declared.

And Then The ‘Sanatan Dharm’ Row

Mr Gandhi’s jabs also come amid a fight over Tamil Nadu minister Udhayanidhi Stalin’s comment about ‘Sanatan Dharm’, which the BJP and right-wing commentators have claimed is a “call for the genocide of people with Sanatan thoughts”.

Earlier this month Mr Stalin said, “Sanatana (Dharma) ought to be eradicated like malaria, dengue and mosquito…”

An apoplectic BJP hit back, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and several members of his cabinet and party targeting him. Mr Stalin was even the target of a Rs 10 crore bounty allegedly issued by a temple priest in Uttar Pradesh’s Ayodhya.

READ | “Even As We Launch Chandrayaan”: MK Stalin Defends Son In “Sanatan Dharma” Row

Mr Gandhi has not, so far, responded directly to this controversy, although his party has, flip-flopping between support and criticism. Karnataka minister Priyank Kharge disavowed any religion that does not treat all people as equals. However, Congress boss Mallikarjun Kharge, his father, seemed to want distance, declaring “there is no need to mix religion, politics”.

It was a special cooking class: chef Lalu Yadav showed apprentice Rahul Gandhi how to cook Champaran mutton, a famous meat preparation from Bihar. The Congress leader released the cooking video on Saturday.

“I know how to cook, but I’m not an expert. When I was working in Europe I had to learn to cook. I used to stay alone, so I had to learn. I can cook basic dishes. But I am not an expert,” Mr Gandhi says in the video, adding that “Lalu Yadav ji makes great food”.  

Lalu Yadav, a famous practitioner of repeat-worthy dialogue, on being asked by the Congress leader when did he learn to cook, says, “I was in 6th or 7th standard. I had gone to Patna to meet my brothers, who were working there then. They had called me. I used to cook for them, gather firewood, wash utensils and grind the spices. I learnt it all there.”

In the seven-minute video, the veteran Bihar leader can be seen instructing Rahul Gandhi on various steps involved in cooking the special dish: adding spices, marinating the meat and then putting it all in the handi.

As the dish was getting ready, Rahul Gandhi asks Mr Yadav about the secret spice in politics.

“The secret spice is hard work. To fight against injustice,” says Mr Yadav.

How is this (cooking) different from politics? asks Rahul Gandhi, reminding the leader that he likes to “mix everything in politics”.

“Yes, I do. Politics is impossible without a little mixing,” says Mr Yadav.

During their conversation, Mr Gandhi asks the senior leader what was his advice for next generation of politicians?

“My suggestion is that your parents, your grandparents led the nation onto a new path, the path of righteousness, you should never forget that,” says Mr Yadav.

Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav and his sister Misa Bharti were also present during the dinner.

All of them then can be seen around a big dining table enjoying the dish. At the end, Mr Gandhi also gets the mutton dish packed for his sister Priyanka Gandhi Vadra.