Bharatiya Janata Party chief Rajnath Singh on Tuesday said Congress president Sonia Gandhi should act against her party’s vice-president Rahul Gandhi rather than attempt face-saving measures.Mr. Singh was reacting to the remarks Ms. Gandhi made on Monday at Mandya in Karnataka, where she accused the BJP of making fun of the Prime Minister.
He urged her to either seek the resignation of Mr. Gandhi or ask him to make a public apology for having “challenged the Prime Minister’s authority.”
“It is not the BJP which is guilty of disrespect towards the Prime Minister but the vice-president of the Congress party. If she [Ms. Gandhi] is really concerned about the respect of the Prime Minister, then she should seek [Mr. Gandhi’s] resignation or ask him to seek a public apology,” he told a press conference.
“The purpose of the Prime Minister’s visit abroad has been defeated,” said Mr. Singh, pointing out that Mr. Gandhi’s dissent — over the Centre-approved ordinance providing protection to convicted lawmakers — had raised doubts over Manmohan Singh’s credibility when he was visiting a foreign country.“I am of the opinion that at a time when the Prime Minister is on a foreign trip, no person from any political party should disrespect him, because at that time he does not represent a party but the entire country,” the BJP president said.
