Priyanka Gandhi Slams SC Remark on Rahul: “Judges Can’t Decide Who’s a True Indian”

(OT Webdesk)Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra has come out strongly in defence of her brother Rahul Gandhi after the Supreme Court questioned the patriotism behind his comments on Chinese incursions and the Indian Army.

Responding to the court’s remark that “a true Indian will not say all this,” Priyanka stated, “With due respect to the honourable judges, they do not decide who a true Indian is.”

The controversy stems from Rahul’s 2022 Bharat Jodo Yatra, where he alleged that China had captured 2,000 sq km of Indian territory and assaulted Indian soldiers in Arunachal Pradesh.

The Supreme Court, while pausing criminal proceedings in a defamation case against him, questioned the factual basis of these claims and advised that such statements be made in Parliament, not through the media.

Rahul’s counsel, Abhishek Manu Singhvi, defended the remarks as part of his constitutional right to free speech, aimed at sparking national debate on sovereignty and security.

Leaders from the INDIA bloc criticised the court’s observation as “unwarranted,” with Congress’s Supriya Shrinate emphasising that citizens must hold the government accountable when it fails to protect borders.

The defamation case was filed by retired BRO director Uday Shankar Srivastava, who alleged that Rahul’s comments defamed the armed forces.

The Supreme Court will now examine whether Srivastava qualifies as an aggrieved party in a collective defamation claim.