'Jaitley Threatened Me,' Claims Rahul Gandhi; BJP Hits Back: 'How in 2020 When He Died in 2019?'

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Saturday made a comment regarding late BJP leader and former Union Minister Arun Jaitley, which has drawn strong criticism from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The BJP accused Rahul of making a factually incorrect statement, and Arun Jaitley’s son has also condemned the remark.

Rahul Claims Jaitley Threatened Him Over Farm Laws

Rahul Gandhi stated that Arun Jaitley had threatened him when he raised his voice against the farm laws. However, BJP leader Amit Malviya called this a fake claim, pointing out that Jaitley had passed away in 2019, while the farm laws were introduced in 2020.

Amit Malviya Calls It False and Misleading

Taking to social media platform X, Amit Malviya wrote, "Rahul Gandhi claims that Arun Jaitley contacted him in 2020 for opposing the farm laws. The truth is that Arun Jaitley passed away on August 24, 2019, and the draft of the farm bills was brought to the Union Cabinet on June 3, 2020."

Malviya added that the laws were implemented in September 2020. He said it is factually incorrect and misleading to suggest that Jaitley contacted Rahul Gandhi about anything. Arun Jaitley's son, Rohan Jaitley, also criticized Rahul’s statement.

Rohan Jaitley Defends His Father’s Legacy

Rohan Jaitley responded by saying, “I would like to remind Rahul that my father passed away in 2019, and the farm laws were introduced in 2020.” He added, “Threatening someone was not in my father's nature. He was a staunch democrat and believed in building consensus. Rahul Gandhi should be careful when speaking about people who are no longer with us.”

Rohan also mentioned that Rahul had previously tried to do the same with Manohar Parrikar, implying a pattern of making questionable claims about deceased leaders.