A tweet from former Congress chief on Monday on the border situation started off an exchange between Congress leaders and the Defence Minister on social media
Moving away from a poetic engagement, former Congress chief Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday posed a direct question to Defence Minister Rajnath Singh if Chinese troops had occupied Indian territory.
“Once RM [Raksha Mantri] is done commenting on the hand symbol, can he answer: Have the Chinese occupied Indian territory in Ladakh,” asked Mr. Gandhi on Twitter.
“Denigrating Party Symbols of Opposition isn’t same as ‘Defending India’. Will @rajnathsingh ji answer the simple question posed by Sh. Rahul Gandhi,” asked Congress chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala.
A tweet from Mr. Gandhi on Monday on the border situation started off an exchange between Congress leaders and Mr. Singh on social media.
“Everyone knows the reality of the seema [borders] but Shah-yad [perhaps] the thought is good to keep one’s heart happy,” Mr. Gandhi tweeted by tweaking a famous Urdu couplet of Mirza Ghalib as well as the Home Minister’s surname.
Mr. Gandhi’s tweet on Monday morning was to take a dig at Home Minister Amit Shah’s claim at a digital rally on Sunday where he had said India’s defence policies were globally acknowledged and “after U.S. and Israel, if there is any other country that is able to protect its borders, it is India”.
Late on Monday evening, Mr. Singh responded with another Urdu couplet but took a dig at the Congress party’s symbol.
“If there is pain in your hands, apply medicine. But when hands itself become the source of pain, then what do you do?” tweeted Mr. Singh over the Congress leader’s comments.
Mr. Surjewala then got into the fight with yet another couplet.
“Dear Rajnath ji, When we pose a question, then questions are asked. Those in power question our language. We are India. We want to see you use the force in your hands to answer those who show us a red eye,” Mr. Surjewala replied to the Defence Minister.
With inputs from The Hindu