Recalling his long political career, Singh said he had never witnessed a LoP engage in such conduct, citing former leaders including Sushma Swaraj, Arun Jaitley, Atal Bihari Vajpayee and LK Advani, as well as Congress leaders such as Manmohan Singh and Sonia Gandhi.
Also read: China Border Situation: Rahul Gandhi asks questions; govt side denies any inroads
He maintained that political differences and resentment towards the prime minister cannot justify what he described as “indecent remarks”. Such language, he added, was “utterly unacceptable”, particularly when directed at a prime minister whom he credited with elevating India’s stature globally and advancing the country’s development ambitions.
The defence minister also questioned whether the Congress could claim the legacy of its historic leaders after Gandhi’s remarks. He invoked figures including Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, Subhas Chandra Bose, Rajendra Prasad, Lal Bahadur Shastri, PV Narasimha Rao and Pranab Mukherjee.
He accused Rahul Gandhi of not only insulting PM Modi but also India’s international reputation, while undermining the dignity associated with the office of Leader of Opposition.
कल नेता प्रतिपक्ष राहुल गांधी जी ने प्रधानमंत्री श्री नरेन्द्र मोदी जी एवं भारत की विदेश नीति पर जो टिप्पणी की है, वो अत्यन्त निम्नस्तरीय और निन्दाजनक तो है ही, साथ ही मुझे व्यक्तिगत रूप से बहुत पीड़ा देने वाली भी है।
अपने लम्बे राजनैतिक जीवन में, मैंने किसी भी नेता प्रतिपक्ष… pic.twitter.com/yQ9zr6oGxf
— Rajnath Singh (@rajnathsingh) August 14, 2026
Gandhi’s foreign policy criticism
Gandhi had on Thursday alleged that China was preventing Indian forces from patrolling areas in Arunachal Pradesh and questioned what PM Modi, Singh and Home Minister Amit Shah were doing about the situation.At a Congress event, Gandhi also accused the government of attempting to suppress information about the alleged developments. Referring to the 2020-21 Galwan episode, he alleged that Modi had weakened India’s position by denying Chinese intrusion.
The LoP also criticised the government’s foreign policy, arguing that hugging world leaders did not amount to diplomacy and that India had been left watching Pakistan take on a mediator’s role in the US-Iran conflict.
He urged people not to be afraid of confronting the Modi government and the BJP, claiming that the ruling establishment had “devastated” the country but was no longer as strong. He also targeted PM Modi and Shah, saying the opposition would not let them “sleep until they resign”. Gandhi further criticised the RSS, alleging that it had lost its original moorings and that Modi had completed its “corporatisation”.
