New Delhi, Aug 5 (UNI) Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi on Friday slammed Rahul Gandhi calling him a "fake Gandhi".
"Rahul Gandhi is not a descendent of Mahatma Gandhi, he is a fake Gandhi," Joshi said responding to media queries.
The comment came after the former Congress president held a press conference, and said that democracy is under threat in India.
He also said he was being attacked by the government as he is raising questions on issues like unemployment, price rise and communal divide.
"Why do they attack Gandhi family? It is because we fight for an ideology and there are crores of people in India with us," Rahul Gandhi said on Friday morning.
"My family has sacrificed their lives. We fight for this ideology. We feel the pain when India is divided on communal lines, when someone is beaten up for being a Dalit we feel the pain, when a woman is beaten up we feel the pain, so we fight," he said.
Union Minister Anurag Thakur meanwhile attacked the Congress and said, "Even if they protest from Parliament to the streets, their corruption cannot be hidden".
"Why are they scared of the investigation agencies? What are they they trying to hide by hitting the streets?" he said.
Congress leaders staged a protest at different locations across the country, and at the Parliament House and Congress Headquarters in Delhi.
Congress leaders, including Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi were detained by police, along with several other top leaders and almost all MPs of the party.
The detained leaders were released on Friday evening.
UNI AO SHK1943