Daijiworld Media Network - New Delhi
New Delhi, Aug 2: A fresh political flashpoint erupted on Saturday after Congress leader Rahul Gandhi alleged that late Union Minister Arun Jaitley had once threatened him over his opposition to farm laws — a claim swiftly rebutted by Jaitley's son and dismissed by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) as “fabricated.”
At the Congress Legal Conclave 2025, Gandhi claimed that Jaitley had visited him at 10 Janpath and conveyed a threat in connection with his stand on pro-farmer issues, which Gandhi claimed was an early precursor to the 2020 farm laws that were later repealed in 2021 after massive protests.
BJP Responds: “Chronology Doesn’t Match”
Rohan Jaitley, son of the late Arun Jaitley, strongly refuted the claim, pointing out that his father passed away in August 2019, while the farm laws were passed in 2020, and had been unwell for several months prior.
“The question of him threatening anyone on this issue simply does not arise,” Rohan said in a statement, calling Rahul’s remark “distasteful and disconnected from reality.”
Congress Defends Rahul: “Not About One Law, But A Pattern”
In response, the Congress came out in full support of its leader.
Pawan Khera, head of the party's Media and Publicity Department, said the alleged episode was part of a long-running BJP attempt to suppress pro-farmer voices, and that Jaitley’s visit occurred during the early phase of BJP’s anti-farmer legislative agenda, particularly around 2014–2017, not 2020.
Khera elaborated:
“This was never about one Bill or one Act. It was about crushing Rahul Gandhi’s fierce, unyielding defence of India’s farmers… The intention of the threats was to silence us but they have only ever strengthened our resolve.”
Khera cited BJP’s earlier moves:
• 2014: Attempt to dilute the Land Acquisition Act passed during UPA.
• 2017: Introduction of the Model APLM Act (Agricultural Produce and Livestock Marketing).
“It is in this context that the late Arun Jaitley came to 10 Janpath to meet Rahul Gandhi carrying a threat. But he forgot that Rahul Ji is a Gandhi, not a Savarkar,” Khera said in a pointed dig.
Political Fallout
The controversy comes amid increasing tension between the Congress and the BJP, especially as Rahul Gandhi has intensified attacks on alleged corporate cronyism, farmers' issues, and institutional integrity.
The BJP has dismissed the entire episode as “yet another attempt by Rahul Gandhi to invent a persecution narrative,” while accusing the Congress of trying to politicize the memory of a deceased leader.
Political observers say this skirmish may mark the beginning of another narrative war in the run-up to key state elections later this year and potentially 2029 Lok Sabha preparations.