Was ‘threatened’ by Jaitley to toe Centre’s line on farm laws: Rahul
A political storm broke out on Saturday after Congress MP Rahul Gandhi claimed that former Union Minister Arun Jaitley had threatened him on behalf of the government over his opposition to the now-repealed farm laws.
The remark, made during the 2025 Annual Legal Conclave in Delhi, quickly drew sharp rebuttals from the BJP, union ministers and Jaitley’s son, Rohan Jaitley.
“I remember when I was fighting the farm laws, Arun Jaitley was sent to threaten me. He told me, ‘If you carry on opposing the government, fighting the farm laws, we will have to act against you’. I looked at him and said, ‘I don’t think you have any idea who you are talking to’,” Rahul told the gathering.
Moments after the statement, there was a barrage of fact checks from the BJP and social media users saying Jaitley passed away in August 2019 and the farm laws were introduced as ordinances in June 2020, passed in Parliament in September 2020 and eventually repealed in November 2021 after year-long stir.
Rohan posted on X, “Rahul Gandhi now claims my late father, Arun Jaitley, threatened him over the farm laws. Let me remind him, my father passed away in 2019. The farm laws were introduced in 2020.”
He also rejected the suggestion that his father would ever have used threats to silence dissent. “He (Arun Jaitley) was a staunch democrat and always believed in building consensus. If at all such a situation was to occur, as it often does in politics, he would invite free and open discussions to arrive at a mutually acceptable solution to all. That was simply who he was and that remains his legacy today.”
Taking further exception to Rahul invoking his late father’s name in such a context, Rohan added, “I will appreciate Rahul Gandhi being mindful while speaking of those not with us. He attempted something similar with Manohar Parrikar, politicising his final days which was in equally poor taste. Let the departed Rest in Peace.”
“If irresponsibility has a face, it is @RahulGandhi, Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha. To throw baseless allegations at people in public life, even those who are no longer with us, is becoming a personality trait in him. His statement on late Arun Jaitley is despicable. India needs a strong Opposition. An irresponsible leadership hurts his party @INCIndia and the country. But does he care?” Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman posted on X.
Former minister Anurag Thakur said, “Lies and Congress go hand in hand. Their only consistent trait is dishonesty.”
He said Rahul was already facing multiple defamation cases and had to apologise on several occasions. “He should now apologise to Arun Jaitley’s family, the BJP and the people of India,” Thakur added.
BJP’s Amit Malviya also accused Rahul of spreading “fake news” and wrote, “Rahul Gandhi claims that Arun Jaitley approached him to water down his opposition to 2020 farm laws. Let’s set the record straight: Arun Jaitley passed away on August 24, 2019. The draft farm bills were brought to the Union Cabinet on June 3, 2020. The laws were enacted in September 2020. Any discussion, whether in support or opposition, began after these developments.”
Malviya added, “To suggest Arun Jaitley approached him for anything at all is factually incorrect and misleading. Let’s stick to facts and not rewrite timelines to suit narratives.”
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