Habitual loose cannon: Anurag Thakur on Rahul Gandhi

Union minister Thakur says the former Congress president considers himself above parliament, government, judicial system and country

NEW DELHI | Updated: 25 March, 2023 4:27 am IST
Union ministers Anurag Thakur and Dharmendra Pradhan (TNI Photo By Sumit Kumar)

Taking a dig at Rahul Gandhi, Union minister Anurag Thakur described the former Congress president as a “habitual loose cannon who considers himself above the parliament, government, judicial system and country.

“He is out on bail in not one but in seven different cases. Apart from this, in many cases, he had to apologize for his lies and unrestrained rants. This proves that Rahul Gandhi is a habitual loose cannon,” the Union minister for Sports and Youth Affairs said.

“Rahul Gandhi insulted PM Narendra Modi not once but repeatedly by using abusive words. He went further and insulted an entire community (OBC),” Thakur alleged.

Citing more examples, Thakur said, “When he became an MP from Wayanad, he used abusive words for people of Amethi and North Indians. When he went to Jammu and Kashmir, he created division by saying that local people would lose their jobs. When he went to Assam, he started creating a rift with Gujarat by talking about tea. He does not consider Arunachal Pradesh to be a part of India. He even spoke against Indian vaccines.”

Thakur also took a shot at the Congress, which is usually nothing more than a divided house, saying that even his own party wants to get rid of him.

“Rahul Gandhi must investigate this well-planned purification system, a well-thought-out conspiracy created inside the Congress to ouster him,” Thakur said.

“Who in Congress wants to get rid of Rahul Gandhi? There are big lawyers in Congress. Was there not a single man to give correct advice to him or was he intentionally misled?” Thakur questioned.

“Rahul Gandhi himself said that, unfortunately, he is an MP. Today he got freedom from his misfortune,” Union Information and Broadcasting minister, Thakur said. “Along with him, the people of Wayanad also got rid of him,” he added.

Holding up Gandhi’s performance card, Thakur said, “Despite being a Member of Parliament from Amethi for so long, Rahul Gandhi never asked any question for the welfare of Amethi. In all these years as an MP, he participated in only 21 debates.”

“He never even brought a single private member’s bill, but openly tore the ordinance of his government by calling it nonsense,” Thakur said in reference to the 2013 ordinance, brought by the UPA government, to protect elected representatives from disqualification.

“Rahul Gandhi considers himself above the parliament, the government, the judicial system and the country,” Thakur said.

“In 2018, Rahul Gandhi submitted a written apology to the Supreme Court for his intemperate statement. The court also warned him against making a similar mistake in the future,” Thakur said.

“However, in 2019, he used indecent language, labelled insults, and made derogatory remarks on multiple occasions. Going beyond limits, he said, ‘All thieves are Modi’. His basic thinking behind all this was that he is above the law of the land and nothing can ever happen to him,” Thakur said.

Citing the SC’s decision in the Lily Thomas case, Thakur said, “It is very clear that if you are convicted for 2 years or more, then you are considered to be suspended until and unless the conviction is not declared null and void.”

“Parliament only notified it. The speaker has nothing to do with it. It was done in full conformity with Section 8 of the Representation of People’s Act, Section 102(1) E of the Constitution,” Thakur said.

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