During a rally in Agra today, Prime Minister Narendra Modi slammed Rahul Gandhi for his sexist and misogynist comments about Defence Minister Nirmala Sitaraman.
Defence Minister Nirmala Sitaraman had demolished President Rahul Gandhi’s lies on Rafale deal in Lok Sabha. Since then, the Congress party and its president Rahul Gandhi have resorted to personal attacks on the minister.
While addressing a farmer’s rally in Rajasthan, Rahul Gandhi had again reiterated his Rafael rhetorics, but this time he also passed a misogynist comment about Nirmala Sitaraman. Rahul Gandhi said that the prime minister hides behind a woman, even when he claims he has a 56-inch chest.
“We demolished the Defence Minister’s speech. The prime minister, who has 56-inch-chest, asked a woman to defend him,” he said.
Just a few hours after Rahu Gandhi made this comment, PM Modi criticised Gandhi and his party leaders for disrespecting not only a women minister but also the Women Power of India.
PM in Agra: Humari Raksha Mantri ne Parliament mein virodhi dal ke natao ke chhakke chhuda diye, unke jhuth ko benaqaab kar diya. Aisa bonkhla gaye ki ab ek mahila Raksha Mantri ka apmaan karne pe tule hai. Ye Raksha Mantri ka nahi poore Hindustan ki mahila shakti ka apmaan hai. pic.twitter.com/MRNEWNBexj
— ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) January 9, 2019
“You must have seen a couple of days ago, how our defence minister demolished the arguments of opposition parties. This is the matter of women’s pride. She single-handedly is commanding the security apparatus of India. The opposition is rattled by her arguments”, PM Modi said in the rally. He also said that “when our defence minister, a woman, thrashed the opposition with facts and figures inside parliament, they got rattled and are now out to insult a woman, it is not just an insult to a woman minister, but all women of this country”. He also added that opposition has stooped so low, that now they are passing disparaging remarks about her.
“It’s a matter of great pride that for the first time, a woman is handling the security and defence of the country”, the prime minister added. He also declared that no matter what, the Defence Miniter will keep working the way she is.
On January 4, Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman gave a point-by-point rebuttal in the Lok Sabha countering the accusations of Congress on the issue of Rafale deal. Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman took a dig at the Congress saying that party should understand the difference between defence dealings and dealings in defence. She said that the NDA government deals in defence keeping national security as a top priority.
Modi also stepped up the counter-attack on Rahul Gandhi on the Rafale deal, asking whether the Rafale deal was not signed by the UPA government due to “Michel Mama”, referring to Christian Michel, the middleman in the AgustaWestland chopper deal who was recently extradited to India. The PM said that “Michel Mama” was lobbying for fighter plane of a different company, and now Congress is trying to scuttle the Rafale deal.