Congress leaders defend Rahul's 'two Indias' comment in Parliament

Several Congress leaders came out in defence of party leader Rahul Gandhi after he faced criticism for his "two Indias" comment in Parliament, with Mallikarjun Kharge saying the country has two faces, one for the rich and the other for the poor, and the gap between the two is widening. The Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha said Gandhi has only pointed out that no steps are being taken to bridge the gap between the rich and the poor.

"India has two faces and there is a need to correct this," he said.

Asked about the criticism of Gandhi's comments by Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi and others, Kharge said he would respond to the prime minister when he replies in Parliament.


Defending the former party chief, Congress spokesperson Supriya Shrinate said, "Rahul Gandhi speaks truth to power and highlights the risks that plague India both from within and outside even as Priyanka Gandhi invokes Congress workers to fight with guts, ideology and stamina."

"Let's fight this good fight folks, let's fight for India," she wrote on Twitter.

Kharge said it is the responsibility of the Opposition to point out mistakes and the government should take corrective measures.

He said this in response to External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar's criticism of Gandhi on foreign policy and remarks that the latter should take "history lessons" after he alleged that the government brought China and Pakistan together.

Kharge said Jaishankar, a former diplomat, was in service prior to his current assignment but never said anything earlier.

Former External Affairs Minister S Natwar Singh came out in support of Jaishankar, saying India is not isolated and it enjoys good relations with its neighbours.

He hit out at Gandhi, saying China and Pakistan had been close allies since 1960 and this started with the Congress leader's great grandfather Jawaharlal Nehru ever since he took the Kashmir issue to the United Nations.

Singh told television channels that he was surprised that nobody from the government reminded Gandhi that what he said was not accurate.