Watch | 'Can't Call an MP Pappu': Adhir Chowdhury's Jibe at BJP Backfires With Amit Shah's Response

Congress MP Adhir Chowdhury and BJP leader Amit Shah locked in a war of words over Adani issue with the former saying Rahul Gandhi has struck the right chord by flagging the issue related to industrialist Gautam Adani, but insisted the party has no “personal issues” with Adani or Ambani.

“We want the country to grow and have more industrialists,” Chowdhury said, participating in a debate on the Motion of Thanks to the President’s Address in Lok Sabha.

While mentioning about the Adani issue, he said: “Gandhi has proved that no matter how hard BJP tries to make him look like a “pappu”, he has made the BJP look like one.”

“Rahul Gandhi khud aapko pappu bana diya,” Chowdhury had said in the Parliament.

Amit Shah, however, mocked Chowdhury and said, “Respected Speaker, Chowdhury can’t call an honourable MP (Rahul Gandhi) pappu.” The entire floor burst into laughter hearing Shah’s comments.

“I am saying it openly, we have no personal issues with Adani ji. We have no personal issues with Ambani ji,” the Congress MP said.

His remarks came a day after Gandhi led a blistering Opposition attack in Lok Sabha over a report by US-based short-seller Hindenburg Research. Gandhi had claimed that the meteoric rise in Adani’s fortunes happened after the BJP came to power in 2014 and rose in the global rich list from the 609th to the second spot eventually.

Gandhi’s arrow has hit the right target, Chowdhury said, claiming the BJP tried hard to brand the former Congress president as a “pappu”, but instead the ruling party has been made to look like one by Rahul Gandhi as it has to deploy its big guns to counter him after his speech on Tuesday.

With BJP members reacting with laughter, Home Minister Amit Shah taunted him, saying, “You cannot call the honourable MP (Rahul Gandhi) Pappu”.

Chowdhury said the issues Rahul Gandhi flagged are being discussed all over the country. He also accused the BJP of defending the Adani Group, and said never in the past has a ruling party has come out in the defence of one industrialist. Chowdhury also said the BJP has time and again mentioned that President Droupadi Murmu comes from a tribal community, and “made it as an election issue”.

The Congress leader said he wonders if Murmu was made President for political gains as earlier no one talked about the religion or caste of a president. This amounts to raising questions over her capabilities, he said.

“It looks as if you (BJP) have gifted” the post to a tribal woman, he said, adding He also said the Congress never called the prime minister as “OBC dada (brother)”.

Treasury benches demands these remarks to should be expunged.

The Congress leader also criticised the BJP government, saying it has no Muslim MP or a Muslim member in the Cabinet.

On the China border issue, he said after the 1962 India-China war, the then prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru agreed for a discussion on a request by Atal Bihari Vajpayee, but the present BJP government says no to a debate for a discussion on Chinese “incursions” into India.

He urged the home minister to take a delegation on the Chinese border to review the ground situation. “Our rights are in danger.” He also alleged ministers and Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar have been giving statements against the judiciary which is an attack on its independence.

(With inputs from PTI)