Chouhan Slams Rahul for 'Spoiling' Country's Image During US Visit

Bhopal: Union Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Monday attacked Congress leader Rahul Gandhi for his statements in the United States and said "spoiling the image" of the country on foreign soil in such a manner was an "anti-national" act.

On Sunday, in his address to the Indian-American community in Dallas, Gandhi said love, respect and humility are missing from Indian politics, and also criticised the RSS for believing that India is "one idea".

During an interaction with students at the University of Texas in Dallas, Gandhi also underscored the need to focus on manufacturing in India, saying India, the US and other countries in the West are facing the problem of unemployment while China is not as it is dominating global production.

" Rahul Gandhi is leader of opposition (in the Lok Sabha) and the LoP is answerable to the nation. Spoiling the country's image abroad amounts to an anti-national act and no patriot indulges in such acts," Chouhan told reporters here.

Gandhi is frustrated after the Congress lost the Lok Sabha polls and is blurting out his frustration, claimed Chouhan, who is here in connection with the death of a kin.

Hitting out at Gandhi, Chouhan said the Rashtriya Syawamsevak Sangh had created lakhs of dedicated workers who have devoted their life for India.

Party politics involving Congress , BJP etc should be confined to the nation and one must realise he or she is representing the country when abroad, he said citing the statesmanship of stalwart Atal Bihar Vajpayee.

"When I went to America when Manmohan Singh was the prime minister, I was asked whether the Indian premier was an under-achiever. At the time, I had responded that India's PM can never be an under-achiever," the Union agriculture minister said.

Chouhan criticized Gandhi for his remark that in India everything is "Made in China" and asserted such statements amounted to disrespecting the country's skilled workforce.

"It used to happen earlier when few things were imported. Even now few items are imported in the country in view of the requirement. But India's skilled labourers and workers are making many things in a swadeshi manner but Gandhi is disrespecting them. Rahul Gandhi 's roots are not linked to Indian soil. He has nothing to do with the Indian people, their culture and traditions," Chouhan said.

On Gandhi's remark that no one is afraid of Prime Minister Narendra Modi , Chouhan said this was indeed true "since people love Modi ji and that is why they have made him PM for a third consecutive time".

Under Modi, India was becoming "atmanirbhar" and will soon become the third largest economy in the world, Chouhan added.

No one can become big with a small heart, the senior BJP leader said in a swipe at Gandhi.

With PTI Inputs