NEW DELHI: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s mind has been hijacked by his activist advisers and he says in Parliament whatever they tell him, Union Minister Kiren Rijiju said on Thursday, while also questioning the Leader of the Opposition about casually wearing a T-shirt in the House.
Participating in the ‘Times Now Summit’ here, the parliamentary affairs minister said he is more comfortable dealing with people who have made substantial contributions during interventions in Parliament.
“Personally, I have no problem with Rahul Gandhi. We meet, we exchange notes outside (and) in the (meeting) hall as he is the leader of the opposition. That is fine. There is no problem. But when you are speaking formally on the floor of the House, then you have to follow conventions, rules and etiquettes. These are very important parts of parliamentary democracy.
“But Rahul Gandhi’s mind has been hijacked by his activist advisers. He says whatever his advisers tell him,” he said.
When the BJP was in opposition, it followed certain standards and organized violent protests but did not cross the limits, he claimed.
Asked about Gandhi’s regular appearance in parliament in casual attire, the minister said that as the leader of the opposition (LoP), one should behave appropriately, “and dressing is a part of that”.
“He has problems understanding rules and etiquette. When you are LoP, you have to behave in a certain way. Dressing decently is also part of it,” the minister said.
