NEW DELHI: Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Friday slammed BJP President J.P. Nadda’s response to his Congress counterpart Mallikarjun Kharge's letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi over threats to the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi.
In a post on X in Hindi, she said: "In view of the unrestrained and violent statements made by some BJP leaders and ministers, Congress President and Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge, concerned about the threats to the life of the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, wrote a letter to the Prime Minister. If the Prime Minister had faith in democratic values, equal dialogue, and respect for elders, he would have personally responded to this letter."
“Instead, the Prime Minister got an aggressive response written by Nadda ji. What was the need to disrespect an 82-year-old senior leader?" she asked.
“The tradition and culture of democracy is to ask questions and hold dialogue. Even in religion, there are no higher values than dignity and courtesy".
Expressing concern over the current political environment, she further said: "Politics is filled with poison today. The Prime Minister should have set a more respectful example by keeping the dignity of his post. If he had respectfully replied to the letter of a senior political colleague, his image and dignity would have been enhanced in the eyes of the public. It is unfortunate that leaders holding the highest positions in the government have spurned these grand traditions."
Congress President Kharge had written to Prime Minister Modi on Tuesday highlighting the incendiary remarks made by some BJP leaders and its allies about Rahul Gandhi. In his response, Nadda reminded Kharge of the derogatory comments made by former party chiefs Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, and other leaders against Prime Minister Modi, alleging they had insulted PM Modi over 110 times in the past 10 years.
Congress General Secretary in-charge of communications, Jairam Ramesh, on Thursday termed Nadda’s response "childish" and "superficial".
Ramesh expressed concern over the fact that a letter addressed to the Prime Minister, regarding a serious threat to the life of the Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha, was instead answered by Nadda. He stated that the Prime Minister's silence on such a grave issue is "very disturbing".