Rajasthan minister's son hits out at RaGa for London remarks
Congress leader and former party chief, Rahul Gandhi, has come under fire for his remarks in the United Kingdom (UK) against the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led Indian government. In a Twitter post, Rajasthan tourism minister Vishvendra Singh's son Anirudh D Bharatpur questioned how someone can question their own country in another country's parliament. Notably, Bharatpur is a loyalist of Congress leader Sachin Pilot.
Why does this story matter?
- The criticism from Bharatpur was unlikely as Rajasthan is currently governed by Congress, of which his father is a member.
- Furthermore, Bharatpur's remark undermines the Congress's defense of Gandhi's remarks about the ruling BJP government.
- His father, Vishvendra Singh, was formerly in the BJP before defecting to the Congress in 2008 following a disagreement and subsequent electoral defeat to late party colleague Digamber Singh.
Gandhi said BJP is silencing the Opposition
Calling out Gandhi for his remarks, Bharatpur wrote on Twitter, "Who insults one's own country in another country's Parliament. Or perhaps he considers Italy his homeland," referring to Rahul's mother Sonia's Italian descent. His retort was directed at a news report in which Gandhi was quoted as telling British MPs that the microphones of opposition leaders in India are muted in parliament.
'Perhaps he considers Italy his homeland'
Genetically prefers European soil: Bharatpur on Gandhi
Bharatpur also reacted to another report about Gandhi's remark at a separate event that the BJP won't remain in power forever. "Can he not speak all this garbage in India? Or he genetically prefers European soil?" he questioned. In a weeklong tour to the UK, Gandhi participated in several events where he raised the issue of the BJP government silencing Opposition and stifling dissent.
Singh faced Jat ire by claiming Jadaun Rajput ancestry
Reportedly, Bharatpur is not new to controversy. Last year, a section of the Jat community—to which Singh belongs—reprimanded him after he claimed that his family originated from the Jadaun Rajputs of Karauli. Singh hails from the erstwhile royal family of Bharatpur, which traces its ancestry to the 18th-century Jat ruler Maharaja Surajmal, who is said to have established the Bharatpur kingdom.
He had discord with his father in 2021
In 2020, Singh lost his cabinet post after joining Pilot's rebellion against Rajasthan CM Ashok Gehlot, which led to a political crisis but was later reinstated. The next year in May, Bharatpur alleged that his father became violent toward his mother and resorted to alcohol.
