New Delhi, Aug 4 (IANS) As the Supreme Court came down heavily on Congress leader and Lok Sabha’s Leader of Opposition (LoP) Rahul Gandhi for allegedly making defamatory statements about the Indian Army, the Shiv Sena and Janata Dal (United) on Monday stated that he should think before making such statements.

Shiv Sena spokesperson Krishna Hegde said the court’s observations cast serious doubt on Rahul Gandhi’s conduct as LoP.

“The Supreme Court has made very strong comments on Rahul Gandhi. His position itself has come under scrutiny. The honourable judges questioned what proof he has to claim that China has occupied 2,000 square kilometres of Indian territory,” Hegde said.

He added that while no one doubts Rahul Gandhi’s patriotism, making unsubstantiated claims in social media rather than in Parliament does a disservice to the democratic process.

“The court has remarked on his preference for addressing the Press over participating in parliamentary debates. This reflects poorly on his role as LoP,” Hegde said.

Janata Dal (United) leader K.C. Tyagi also reacted and stressed that he must exercise restraint and wisdom.

“Rahul Gandhi is the LoP. He should think before giving such statements — otherwise, people will laugh at him. Such remarks diminish his own credibility,” Tyagi told IANS.

The issue pertains to the remarks that the leader had made during his ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’. The Congress MP had allegedly said, “Chinese troops are thrashing Indian Army soldiers in Arunachal Pradesh,” referring to the December 9, 2022, face-off in the Tawang sector.

A Bench of Justices Dipankar Datta and Joymalya Bagchi expressed disapproval of LoP Gandhi’s claim that 2,000 square kilometres of Indian territory had been occupied by China, adding that “if he were a true Indian, he would not have said all this.”

“How do you know that 2,000 square kilometres of Indian territory were occupied by the Chinese? Were you there? Do you have any credible material? If you were a true Indian, you would not say all this. When there is a conflict across the order, is it unusual to have casualties on both sides?” the Justice Datta-led Bench asked senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi, appearing for LoP Gandhi.

“Whatever you have to say, why don’t you say it in the Parliament? Why do you have to say this in social media posts?” further asked the apex court.

The remarks came after Singhvi argued that it would be an “unfortunate situation” if an Opposition leader cannot be allowed to raise issues of national concern in the Press.

The apex court agreed to examine LoP Gandhi’s plea, which raises the issue of mandatory notice to the proposed accused at the pre-cognisance stage, and sought responses from the Uttar Pradesh government and the complainant in the matter.

–IANS

jk/rad