‘Mr PM, let me remind you of times when you ridiculed India abroad’

Mallikarjun Kharge addresses the media in Delhi on Monday. Pic/ANI

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Monday hit back at the Centre for raising in Parliament Rahul Gandhi's democracy remarks and demanding an apology from him, saying those "crushing" democracy are talking of saving it.

Talking to mediapersons outside Parliament, Kharge said, "There is no rule of law and democracy under Modi ji. They are running the country like a dictatorship, and then they talk about democracy."

Gandhi had recently said in London that the structures of Indian democracy are under "brutal attack" and there is a full-scale assault on the institutions of the country by the BJP-led government.

Supporting Gandhi's remarks, he said that autonomous bodies in the country were indeed being suppressed and democracy is being "crushed" under the BJP regime.

Also Read: Opposition parties to meet at Congress Prez Mallikarjun Kharge's office today

Kharge also alleged that PM Modi has "ridiculed" India abroad several times and cited examples of his speeches in China, South Korea, Canada, UAE.

"I want to remind you of your statement made in China. You said - ‘Earlier, you felt ashamed of being born Indian. Now you feel proud to represent the country'. Was this not an insult to India and Indians? Tell your ministers to refresh their memories," Kharge said.

"In South Korea, you had said - There was a time when people used to wonder what sin they committed in their past life resulted in taking birth in India, is this what you call a country?" he said.

"First see the ‘Mirror of Truth', before lecturing the Congress party!" he said, adding if the PM can say all kinds of things against India, why is it a crime if Rahul Gandhi does so.

Kharge said the government was doing this to divert attention from the Adani-Hindenburg issue.

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