Nothing new about Congress challenging judiciary: BJP on party’s defence of Rahul

The BJP attacked the Congress on Tuesday over its defence of Rahul Gandhi after the Supreme Court’s critical observations against him, saying there is nothing new about the opposition party challenging the judiciary as it considered one family “above” the country and Constitution.
“They (Congress) engages in the drama of carrying the Constitution but they do not believe in it. They do not acknowledge the judiciary. They consider one family above the country and Constitution,” Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju said after senior Congress leaders disapproved of the court’s observations against Gandhi.
While staying proceedings against Gandhi before a Lucknow court over his remarks on the army during his December 2022 Bharat Jodo Yatra, the top court, however, censured the Congress leader, saying if he is a “true Indian” he would not have said such a thing.
Gandhi had alleged that China had encroached on over 2,000 sq km of Indian territory on the watch of the Narendra Modi government. The court had also wondered how did he know this.
Rallying to her brother’s side, Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra said it is not up to the judges to decide who is a “true” Indian.
“With due respect to the honourable judges of the Supreme Court, they do not decide who is a true Indian. It is the job of the opposition leader.
It is his duty to ask questions and to challenge the government,” she told reporters at the Parliament House complex.
Hitting back, Rijiju alleged that there is nothing new in the Congress challenging the judiciary and it has done so earlier as well.
The BJP, he claimed, follows the rules and constitutional provisions.
In his remarks, the minister also accused Leader of the Opposition in Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge of lowering the dignity of Parliament and misleading the country by alleging that security personnel from CISF were used to handle protesting members inside the House.
Kharge has gone on to ask if military and police personnel from outside will be brought into Parliament, he said.
Asked if the personnel of CISF, the central armed police forced now tasked with overall security of Parliament, are among of the marshals deployed inside the House, he said anyone who is drafted for managing “difficult” situation there is a marshal.
After all marshals have to be inducted from somewhere, he said.
With the CSIF now in charge of the security after the episode of two intruders jumping into Lok Sabha and opening smoke canisters in December 2023, some of them might have been engaged as marshals as well, officials suggested.