Indira got money from the US, no wonder grandson wants US to intervene: BJP slams Rahul Gandhi

The Bharatiya Janata Party on Wednesday targeted Congress leader Rahul Gandhi once again over his remarks about the state of democracy in India under the Narendra Modi government. BJP National Information and Technology Department In-charge Amit Malviya took to Twitter to share an extract from the 1979 book titled ' A Dangerous Place'  by former United States Ambassador Daniel Mohniyan to target the Congress leader.

A portion of the chapter on 'India, USA and the CIA' read: 'In New Delhi, I had pressed the Embassy to go back over the whole of our quarter century in India to establish just what we had been up to. In the end, I was satisfied we had been up to very little. We had twice, and only twice, in Indian politics to the extent of providing money to a political party. Both times it was done in the face of a prospective Communist victory in a state election, once in Kerala and once in West Bengal, where Calcutta is located. Both times, the money was given to the Congress party, which had asked for it. Once, it was given to Mrs Gandhi herself, who was then a party official. Still we were no longer giving any money to her, it was understandable that she should wonder just to whom we were giving it. It is not a practice to be encouraged.'

Citing this portion, Malviya commented, "As per former US Ambassador Daniel Moynihan, Indira Gandhi asked for and received money from the USA, in the face of prospective Communist victory in Kerala and WB. On one occasion, it seems, Indira personally collected the money… No surprise grandson wants the US to intervene, again."

The remarks came moments after another post slamming Rahul Gandhi's interaction with the Indian Journalists’ Association (IJA) in London. 

Malviya said, "Yesterday, a cornered Congress in damage control tried to hide Rahul Gandhi’s IJA interaction (where he sought Europe and US’s intervention) and instead played a video of the subsequent Chatham House engagement. Is Rahul Gandhi finally an embarrassment for the Congress too?"

On Tuesday, BJP leader Ravi Shankar Prasad lashed out at the former Congress president for trying to embarrass the country by urging Europe and America to interfere in the internal affairs of India. He claimed that Rahul had gone against the consensus in India against any interference in its internal affairs by foreign powers.

The Congress, however, had dismissed the allegations. Congress' media department head Pawan Khera took to Twitter to say, 'There is nothing more amusing than watching an unemployed leader of a ruling party trying to seek relevance and re-employment. Those who have a full-time job of twisting statements of opposition leaders forget their own favourite slogan 'Ab Kii Baar, Trump Sarkaar''

Accusing Rahul of maligning India abroad, the BJP had been raking up statements made by the Wayanad MP on foreign soil where he reportedly criticised the state of democracy in India and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh.