New Delhi, Sep 2 Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju on Tuesday said that Leader of Opposition (LoP) in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, is not a 'pappu' and claimed that he is part of a "well-thought-out conspiracy" of anti-national forces.
'Pappu' became a nickname for LoP Rahul Gandhi in the run-up to the 2014 Lok Sabha elections.
Rijiju's remarks came as he was asked why the Opposition, led by LoP Gandhi, was opposing the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the Bihar voter list by the Election Commission of India (ECI) and used to create a ruckus every single day during the just-concluded Monsoon Session of Parliament.
"Do not think that LoP Rahul Gandhi is foolish. He is not doing foolish things; these are part of a calculated conspiracy. People call Rahul Gandhi 'Pappu'; we did not. It was the senior secretaries of the AICC, Congress members themselves, who gave him that name. I do not think he is foolish," the Union Minister said.
"The anti-national forces and the Leftists have influenced LoP Rahul Gandhi to attack the judiciary and the ECI and accuse the Centre of vote theft. LoP Gandhi knows this; he is not a child. He knows he is a part of a well-thought-out conspiracy," he professed.
However, Union Minister Rijiju said that under the leadership of PM Modi, "no one can disrupt" the country's growth.
"The countrymen are standing strong behind the Prime Minister as under his leadership the nation is progressing... The public knows that those who use derogatory language cannot lead the nation," he said.
This is not the first time that Rijiju has asserted that it was not the BJP who gave LoP Gandhi the nickname "Pappu."
In September last year, Congress leader Sam Pitroda reminded the people of this tag in Texas.
"Rahul Gandhi's agenda is to address some of the larger issues; he has a vision contrary to what the BJP promotes by spending crores and crores of rupees. I must tell you he is not 'Pappu', he is highly educated, he is a strategist with deep thinking on any subject," he had said.
Soon after this, Rijiju had said, "Mr Sam Pitroda is blaming the BJP for no reason. Congress leaders gave this title 'Pappu' to Rahul Gandhi. Please never-ever blame the BJP for all his failures and his 'balak buddhi.'"
However, amid this debate, BJP IT cell chief Amit Malviya grabbed the opportunity and posted, "Imagine introducing 'balak buddhi Rahul Gandhi as, 'He is no Pappu...'. Sam Pitroda just did that."
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