New Delhi, March 10 Shiv Sena MP Shrikant Shinde on Tuesday launched a scathing attack on Rahul Gandhi, saying the leader of the opposition in the Lok Sabha is peddling an "anti-India" agenda and seems to go on vacation whenever debates take place in Parliament on important issues and bills.
Shinde also said Gandhi will be interrupted 200 times while speaking in the Lok Sabha if he speaks against the country.
Participating in a debate on the resolution for removal of Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla from office, Shinde expressed his support for Birla and slammed the opposition's behaviour.
He said Gandhi was more concerned about knowing how many planes were downed in Pakistan instead of the success of the armed forces in May last year.
"In his remarks, Gaurav Gogoi said Gandhi was interrupted 20 times while speaking on the motion of thanks to the President's address. I would like to tell him, we will interrupt you 200 times if you speak against the country," Shinde said.
"Their policy is anti-India. Gandhi's speeches are shown in Pakistan. His interest was in how many planes did Pakistan down and tell that to the world than the success of Operation Sindoor," Shinde said.
"Gogoi called the PM weak. No country signs an FTA with a weak country. The US and EU have signed a trade pact with us," he said.
Attacking Gandhi, Shinde said the LoP never raises issues during question hour or zero hour and has not even introduced a single private member's bill in his stint in the Lok Sabha.
"Whenever important bills are debated, the LoP is absent from the House," the Shiv Sena MP claimed.
Shinde said the position of the leader of opposition carries great responsibility and has historically been held by individuals who strengthened parliamentary democracy.
Unfortunately, today the LoP has repeatedly taken positions that undermine the nation and question the integrity of India’s armed forces, he said.
Whenever Parliament sessions begin, the LoP seems to go on vacation, he claimed.
"During the Budget session last year, he was in Germany; the year before, he was in Vietnam. In March 2023, during the Budget session, he was in the United Kingdom, and in 2018, he travelled to Singapore and Malaysia during the same period," he said.
"Whenever serious debates take place in Parliament, the Leader of the Opposition seems to be on vacation," Shinde said, alleging that he works as a "part-time leader".
He also claimed that Gandhi was absent during several key legislative debates, including the Land Acquisition Bill (2015), Aadhaar Bill (2016), Triple Talaq Bill (2017), and Waqf Amendment Bill (2025).
Gandhi was also absent from the House during the debate on Article 370 (2019), he alleged.
Responding to claims made by Congress leader Gaurav Gogoi that Gandhi was interrupted 20 times during his speech, Shinde said that anyone who speaks against the nation or questions the armed forces will be firmly countered.
"If anyone dares to speak against the nation or the armed forces, they will be interrupted not just 20 times but 200 times," he asserted.
Shinde said that between 2009 and 2014, Gandhi spoke only twice in the House. From 2014 to 2019, he spoke 14 times, from 2019 to 2024 eight times, and between 2024 and 2026 he has spoken 14 times, the Shiv Sena leader said.
He also noted that during the 15th, 16th and 17th Lok Sabhas, Gandhi’s absence rate was over 50 per cent.
Gandhi had once publicly torn up an ordinance introduced by his own party’s government, yet today claims to be defending Parliament and democratic institutions, he said.
Later, intervening in the debate, Union minister Chirag Paswan said he was saddened to note that the opposition is so deprived of issues that from among all the important matters, they have come up with this resolution.
"The achievements and policies of the government have been such over the last 11 years, probably they have nothing much to raise," the leader of Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) said.
Paswan also accused the Congress of not giving B R Ambedkar the respect he deserved.
"I want to ask LoP and other opposition leaders, what respect they have shown to Ambedkar. If someone has insulted Ambedkar the most, it is the Congress. They talk of respecting the Constitution, why did they not put up any picture of Ambedkar in the House. There was an image of three members of the same family when they were in power," he said.
He pointed out that Bharat Ratna was given to Ambedkar by a non-Congress government.
"If they (Congress) cannot respect the architect of the Constitution, what respect will they show to the Constitution. They keep (copy of) Constitution in pockets and waive it in political meetings. The Congress will tell us how to respect the Constitution? They trampled upon it when they imposed the Emergency?" Paswan said.
"Jaiprakash Narayan had said 'singhasan khali karo, janta aati hai'. Today the PM is doing the same job with people's support to make a Congress-mukt bharat because your behaviour is such," he said, slamming the opposition party.
At the AI Impact Summit where people came from across the world and heads of state hailed India, there the Congress people insulted the country, he said.
Paswan went on to highlight the achievements of PM Narendra Modi-led NDA government. He said the opposition is concerned with its right to speak, but is not taking care of its duties.