Those who turned party into private limited company talking about East India: Smriti Irani tears into Rahul Gandhi

New Delhi: Former Union Minister Smriti Irani on Thursday tore into the Leader of Opposition (LoP) in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi over his opinion article reflecting on the ‘prowess’ of East India Company and accused him as well as the Congress party of insulting nation’s brave freedom fighters and martyrs.

Addressing a press conference, Smriti Irani said that it was unfortunate that they (Rahul Gandhi and Congress) don’t understand the valour of freedom fighters and their supreme sacrifices.

“They either aren’t aware of the bravery of Birsa Munda, heroic acts of Shivaji Maharaja, the sacrifices of Rani Laxmibai, the intrepidness of Mangal Pandey or tend to deliberately ignore their contributions to the country’s freedom struggle,” the former minister said in a presser.

Smriti Irani also expressed strong reservations over the article’s reference to the Britishers ‘supremacy’, in the first line, which apparently read – ‘India was silenced by East India Company’.

“Had India been silent, Britishers would be ruling the country today” she retorted.

Further taking a stinging jibe, Irani said, “It’s ludicrous that the family which turned a leading political party into a private limited company is talking about East India Company.”

Earlier in the day, the scions of Indian royal families also took exception to Rahul Gandhi’s article, where he wrote that India’s silence under the East India Company was not due to its business control but rather its oppressive control.

They lambasted Congress MP Rahul Gandhi for describing the country’s former kings as “pliant maharajas” subjugated by the East India Company.

Rajasthan Deputy Chief Minister Diya Kumari, the granddaughter of Man Singh II, the last Maharaja of Jaipur, voiced her disapproval on X, saying, “I strongly condemn Mr Rahul Gandhi’s attempt to malign the erstwhile royal families of India in an editorial today. The dream of an integrated India was only possible because of the utmost sacrifice of the erstwhile royal families of India.”

Vikramaditya Singh, former Congress leader and grandson of Maharaja Sir Hari Singh, the last ruler of Kashmir, criticised Gandhi’s “superficial understanding of history.”

“The irony is that Mr Rahul Gandhi, coming from such immense privilege himself, would repeatedly attempt to malign the Maharajas’ colossal contributions to the Republic of India is appalling,” Singh wrote.

Chaitanya Raj Singh, representing the former royal family of Jaisalmer, called the LoP’s claims “baseless and unacceptable,” remarking, “Perhaps Rahul Gandhi has forgotten who actually did the work of uniting India; he should look into the pages of history.”

In an article in a leading daily, Rahul Gandhi wrote that the Easy India Company suppressed India by allying with, bribing and threatening more pliant maharajas and nawabs.

–IANS