After former Madhya Pradesh chief minister and senior Congress leader Digvijaya Singh’s tweet thanking the German foreign affair ministry spokesperson for ‘taking note of’ Rahul Gandhi’s disqualification from the Lok Sabha, Rajya Sabha MP Kapil Sibal on Friday said that “we don’t need endorsements from abroad” as “our fight is our own”.
Taking a swipe at Digvijaya Singh’s tweet, Sibal, who quit the Congress in May last year, also emphasised that “we don’t need crutches to walk ahead”.
The noted lawyer took to Twitter, saying: “Digvijaya Singh :Thanked Berlin for “taking note of how democracy is being compromised in India “My thought :We don’t need crutches to walk ahead We don’t need endorsements from abroad” (sic)
On Thursday, Singh had thanked the German foreign affairs ministry after it took note of Rahul Gandhi’s disqualification. Singh thanked the German foreign ministry spokesperson and Richard Walker, Chief International Editor of Deutsche Welle, for “taking note of how democracy is being compromised in India through the persecution of Rahul Gandhi”.
Singh also tagged a tweet by Walker in which the scribe had posted a video clip of a German foreign ministry spokesperson reacting to Gandhi’s disqualification.
During a press briefing that was aired on Deutsche Welle (DW), a German ministry spokesperson stated that her country “expects that the standards of judicial independence and fundamental democratic principles will apply in the case.” “We have taken note of the verdict of the first instance against the Indian opposition politician Rahul Gandhi as well as the suspension of his parliamentary mandate. To our knowledge, Mr Gandhi is in a position to appeal the verdict,” she is heard saying in the clip of the briefing.
Congress distances itself from controversy
While the Congress has distanced itself from the controversial tweet, Singh has been criticised by BJP leaders and union ministers, who called his tweet an open attempt to invite foreign powers to interfere in India’s internal matters.
Amid attacks by the ruling BJP, the Congress’s communications in-charge, Jairam Ramesh, said that India’s political problems should be solved from within.
“@INCIndia firmly believes that India’s democratic processes themselves have to deal with the threats posed to our democracy by Mr Modi’s assault on our institutions and his politics of vendetta, intimidation, threats and harassment. Congress and opposition parties will take him on fearlessly,” Ramesh tweeted on Wednesday, without mentioning Singh’s tweet that triggered the controversy.
BJP hits out at Congress over ‘foreign intervention’
Union ministers Nirmala Sitharaman, Kiren Rijiju and Anurag Thakur slammed Digvijaya Singh for his remarks. Union law minister Kiren Rijiju said the Indian judiciary cannot be influenced by foreign interference.
“Thank you Rahul Gandhi for inviting foreign powers for interference into India’s internal matters. Remember, Indian Judiciary can’t be influenced by foreign interference. India won’t tolerate ‘foreign influence’ anymore because our Prime Minister is:- Shri @narendramodi Ji,” Rijiju said in a tweet over Divijaya Singh’s remarks.
Finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman said it is apparent that Congress wants foreign interference in India’s domestic affairs.
The criminal defamation case against Rahul Gandhi was filed by Gujarat BJP leader Purnesh Modi.
