'Don't betray India, Rahul Gandhi': Anurag Thakur slams ex-Cong prez

New Delhi: Union Minister Anurag Thakur on Monday hit out at Rahul Gandhi for his remarks seeking intervention from the US and European nations over "disappearing" democracy in India and asked the Congress leader not to betray the nation.

"Don't betray India, Rahul Gandhi ji. The objections to India's foreign policy is an evidence of your scant understanding of the issue. No one will believe the lies you spread about India from foreign soil," Thakur told reporters here.

Speaking at a function in London, Gandhi alleged that the structures of Indian democracy were under "brutal attack" and regretted that democratic parts of the world, including the US and Europe, have failed to notice it.

"His party had done it earlier, when it took local issues to the United Nations, and now to ask other countries to intervene in India. They have not yet come out of the thought of slavery," the Information and Broadcasting Minister said.

Thakur said Gandhi has resorted to "maligning India" from foreign soil as part of a conspiracy to hide his failures.

"Rahul Gandhi has become a storm of controversies. Be it foreign agencies, foreign channels or be it foreign soil. He does not lose a single opportunity to malign India," Thakur said.

"His language, his thoughts, his style of functioning. Everything is suspect. This is not the first time, he has done it time and again. When the COVID-19 pandemic struck, he raised questions on India's vaccines," Thakur said.

The former Congress president also raised questions on the armed forces when the Chinese tried to encroach Indian territory. He, indeed, met officials from China, Thakur charged.

"When our soldiers were martyred, he said they were killed by a car bomb. Is this the manner in which Rahul Gandhi thinks about the armed forces? Sometimes to malign our soldiers, he says they were slapped. What all he says," Thakur said.

The senior BJP leader said the Congress can be so weak but India is not. "Why should he ask the US to intervene? I would only say that India's democracy is strong, people are strong and the armed forces too are strong. India has a leadership that is strong and farsighted and world leaders have said they believe in India and they trust Modi," the minister said.

He said Gandhi was out on bail in a corruption case and has "lost trust in constitutional bodies".