New Delhi, Dec 4 BlueKraft Digital Foundation CEO Akhilesh Mishra on Thursday rebutted Congress general secretary K.C. Venugopal and Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi over their claim that the government was blocking visiting foreign dignitaries from meeting the LoP ahead of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s visit.
Rahul Gandhi had earlier alleged that the Modi government and the Ministry of External Affairs were refusing to follow the “long-standing tradition” of foreign leaders calling on the Opposition leader—a move he described as a sign of “insecurity.”
Venugopal amplified the charge, saying on X that such meetings were essential to India’s democratic and diplomatic culture, but were being disregarded by a government “that only wishes to speak its own Mann Ki Baat.”
Mishra, in a strongly worded response, rejected the allegations and turned the argument back on the Congress leadership. He said that if the party wished to invoke traditions, it must also answer for the many conventions it had allegedly undermined over the years.
He pointed out that Congress leaders had questioned electoral mandates in a manner unprecedented for any national party, and argued that this “election denialism” had become central to the party’s politics.
Mishra also recalled instances where top Congress figures had cast doubt on the credibility of India’s armed forces and military leadership, especially in the context of India-Pakistan tensions, something he deemed a violation of another fundamental national tradition.
Further, he accused Rahul Gandhi of appealing to Western governments to intervene in India’s internal affairs, calling this an even more serious breach of established norms.
He linked this to what he described as the Congress’s weakening of the long-standing political consensus on terrorism, alleging that Congress leaders had defended individuals with extremist links, including those connected to Pakistan.
Mishra also argued that constitutional bodies, from the Supreme Court to the Election Commission, had routinely been subjected to what he called the Congress’s “vituperative politics,” eroding yet another pillar of India’s democratic traditions.
“So @kcvenugopalmp ji, you can’t choose to trash every other time-tested tradition but plead that some others be followed as per your whims. Rahul Gandhi has to earn his place to represent India at international platforms. He has done nothing to earn it, and has done everything to be kept away from it,” Mishra said.
--IANS
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