In a charged address at the All India Congress Committee’s Annual Legal Conclave titled 'Constitutional Challenges – Perspectives & Pathways', Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, alleged that BJP leader Arun Jaitley was sent to threaten him during his campaign against the now-repealed farm laws.
"I remember when I was fighting the farm laws and he is not here anymore so really I shouldn't say it but I will, Arun Jaitley Ji was sent to me to threaten me.
He said, ‘If you carry on down this path opposing the government, we will have to act against you.’ I looked at him and said, ‘I don’t think you know who you are talking to. Because we are Congress people. We are not cowards,” LoP Gandhi stated.
LoP Gandhi's remarks came as part of a broader attack on what he described as the systematic dismantling of constitutional institutions in India. He accused the BJP government of weakening democratic structures and compromising the integrity of the electoral process.
He reiterated his allegations of large-scale voter fraud and manipulation, particularly since the 2014 general elections.
“I always had a suspicion that something was wrong. It started with Gujarat. The Congress didn’t win a single seat in some states, it didn’t add up. When we questioned it, we were told: ‘Where’s the proof?’” he said.
Citing the party’s deep-dive into Maharashtra’s voter data, he said: “We compared lakhs of voter photographs and names, manually. In one constituency, 6.5 lakh votes were cast, and 1.5 lakh were fake. We got this from the Election Commission, physical copies, because they wouldn’t give us electronic ones. The Election Commission has disappeared. It doesn’t exist anymore.”
Rohan Jaitley, son of late Arun Jaitley slammed Congress MP Rahul Gandhi for claiming that the BJP stalwart had 'threatened' him over the farm protests.
Reacting on social media platform X, Rohan Jaitley refuted Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s allegation, pointing out a critical timeline error.
“Rahul Gandhi claims my late father, Arun Jaitley, threatened him over the farm laws. Let me remind him, my father passed away in 2019. The farm laws were introduced in 2020,” Rohan posted on X.
He added, “More importantly, it was not in my father’s nature to threaten anyone over an opposing view. He was a staunch democrat who always believed in building consensus. If at all such a situation arose, as it often does in politics, he would invite free and open discussions to arrive at a mutually acceptable solution. That was simply who he was — and that remains his legacy today.”
Rohan Jaitley also urged Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi to exercise caution when speaking about those who are no longer alive.
“I would appreciate Rahul Gandhi being mindful while speaking of those not with us. He attempted something similar with Manohar Parrikar ji, politicising his final days, which was in equally poor taste. Let the departed rest in peace,” he concluded.
Arun Jaitley, a veteran BJP leader, served as the Union Finance Minister and Minister of Corporate Affairs during the first term of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government.
His portfolio also included stints as Defence Minister and Information and Broadcasting Minister. Despite his towering political presence, Jaitley had stepped back from active politics after the 2019 General Elections due to declining health.
Just a day before the PM Modi government’s swearing-in ceremony on May 30, 2019, Jaitley had written to the Prime Minister expressing his inability to continue in the Cabinet, citing ongoing treatment and health concerns. He passed away a few months later in August 2019 after battling multiple illnesses.
From IANS
