Sambit Patra slams Congress over Indo-China issue

BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra on Tuesday slammed the Congress over its criticism of the NDA governments handling of the Indo-China issue and charged its leadership with having traded its conscience for donations received by Rajiv Gandhi Foundation from that country.

Observing that the country bowed its head in respect for the 20 Indian soldiers martyred in clashes with the Chinese troops, he said people would teach a lesson to the Congress for raising questions about them. The Congress, he alleged, had asked whether the jawans had given a fitting reply to the People's Liberation Army soldiers of China after the June 15 clashes.

Twenty Indian Army personnel, including a Colonel,were killed in a fierce clash with Chinese troops in the Galwan Valley in eastern Ladakh on the night of June 15. Without naming Congress president Sonia Gandhi and party leader Rahul Gandhi, Patra alleged that the mother-son traded their conscience by accepting donations for the Foundation.

"This mother-son have kept their honour low in China. By having an MoU in 2008, and by taking crores as donations in Rajiv Gandhi Foundation, this mother-son duo traded their conscience with China," he alleged.

"When crisis is being talked about, may I say that C for crisis, C for Congress, C for corona, C for China, C for Confusion, C for Conspiracy, he said, addressing a virtual rally organised by the BJP in Telangana on the completion of one year of the NDA government's present tenure. The story of confusion and conspiracy inhabits the DNA of Congress," he charged.

Attacking AIMIM leader Asaduddin Owaisi, Patra charged him with being the new avatar of Jinnah, who had the agenda of divide and rule and that he should be defeated democratically in future. Alleging that TRS and AIMIM are one family, he said they should be defeated. The family is Hindu-virodhi (against Hindus) and indulges in appeasement, he claimed. Patra also hit out the TRS government over its alleged family rule, low COVID-19 tests and other aspects of its management. He also faulted it for allegedly not fulfilling promises of employment generation, financial assistance to unemployed youth and increasing the retirement age of government employees.