‘Creates doubt on every achievement’: Gajendra Shekhawat’s sharp attack on Rahul Gandhi

Gajendra Singh Shekhawat

Union minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat on Saturday launched an attack at Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, accusing him of repeatedly attempting to humiliate India at moments of national pride.

Speaking at the News18 Rising Bharat Summit, Shekhawat alleged that on every occasion when “140 crore Indians” had reason to feel proud, Gandhi had sought to cast doubts or criticise the country’s actions. He cited instances such as the surgical strikes and air strikes carried out by Indian forces, as well as India’s Covid-19 vaccination drive, which he described as “historic”.

“On every such occasion when 140 crore people of India had reasons to feel proud of being Indians, Rahul Gandhi has tried to humiliate India,” Shekhawat said.

Referring to India’s cross-border military operations and the vaccination programme during the pandemic, he claimed Gandhi attempted to create a “cloud of doubt” over these achievements.

The minister further criticised Gandhi’s recent remarks related to trade deal with United States, alleging that such statements were being made “without any basis” and were harming the country’s interests.

Shekhawat accused the Congress leader of acting out of personal political ambition rather than national interest. “The way he is behaving to fulfill his personal ambitions and to bring his party back into the government, is causing harm to the country somewhere. 140 crore people are forced to look down in shame,” he said, adding that such conduct was damaging India’s global image.

In the past few days, Rahul Gandhi has been attacking the Narendra Modi-led government over the recent interim India-US trade deal.

Recently, he alleged that US President Donald Trump had used the Epstein files to threaten PM Modi into signing a trade deal that would "sacrifice" Indian farmers.

"If you do not respect the foundation, nothing can be built. The person who builds the foundation does not have respect or protection. We eat food every day but do not remember who puts it on our table," he said.