Taking a swipe at Congress leader Rahul Gandhi over his recent opinion piece in a newspaper, the BJP on Thursday called it “laughable” and said a genuine and a respectful understanding of India cannot be expected from a person who considers himself a “political royalty”.

In an article published in The Indian Express on Wednesday, Gandhi said the original East India Company wound up its operations more than 150 years ago but the raw fear it then generated is back now, with a new breed of monopolists having taken its place.

The Congress leader also said India was silenced by the East India Company and it was silenced not by the company's business prowess, but by its chokehold.

The company choked India by partnering with, bribing and threatening more pliant maharajas and nawabs, he added.

Asked for comment, senior BJP leader Smriti Irani took a swipe at Gandhi’s views in the article and said, “It’s laughable. One who has made politics itself a single family private limited company is talking about the East India company today”.

India would have been under the British Rule still today if the Indians were silenced by the East India Company, she added.

“These are the people who harbour misunderstandings and doesn’t not know about the bravery of Birsa Munda, contributions of Chatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and Rani Lakshmibai’s sacrifice. The one who doesn't know Mangal Pandey would feel that India and Indians were silent before the East India Company,” Irani told reporters at the BJP headquarters here.

“I am of the opinion that some body who considers himself political royalty will always denigrate the contributions of every community and facets of India. I do not expect a genuine and respectful understanding of my country from such people,” she added.

Several BJP leaders from the royal families also condemned Gandhi for his views about maharajas and nawabs and said “baseless allegations” made by the Congress leader in his opinion piece on the basis of “half-baked interpretation” of historical facts is completely unacceptable.

“Those who sell hatred have no right to lecture on Indian pride and history. Rahul Gandhi’s ignorance about Bharat’s rich heritage and his colonial mindset have crossed all limits,” Union Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia wrote on 'X' late Wednesday evening, reacting sharply to the Congress leader’s opinion piece.

“If you claim to uplift the nation, stop insulting Bharat Mata and learn about true Indian heroes like Mahadji Scindia, Yuvraj Bir Tikendrajit, Kittur Chennamma and Rani Velu Nachiyar, who fiercely fought for our freedom,” he said.

“Your selective amnesia about your own privilege is a disservice to those truly striving against adversity,” he said, adding, “Respect Bharat’s history, or don’t pretend to speak for her”.

Scindia further said Gandhi’s “dissonance” only exposes the Congress’ agenda further.

“Rahul Gandhi is no champion of Atmanirbhar Bharat; he is merely a product of an outdated entitlement. India’s legacy doesn’t begin or end with the title ‘Gandhi’. Only under PM Narendra Modi’s leadership are the stories of our real warriors finally celebrated,” the minister added.

Rajasthan Deputy Chief Minister Diya Kumari also condemned Gandhi, terming his views in the opinion piece an attempt to malign the erstwhile royal families of India.

“The dream of integrated India was only possible because of the utmost sacrifice of the erstwhile royal families of India. Baseless allegations made on the basis of half-baked interpretation of historical facts is completely unacceptable,” she wrote on X on Wednesday.

BJP MP from Mysore, Yaduveer Wadiyar, slammed Gandhi and said his opinion piece reflected lack of his knowledge of the true history of India and his ignorance of the contributions made by the erstwhile princely states towards today’s Bharat.

“I strongly condemn his choice of words in the article, and the insinuations made by him,” he wrote on X on Wednesday.

Vikramaditya Singh, the son of Congress leader Karan Singh and former Jammu and Kashmir MLC, said Gandhi’s article reflected his “superficial understanding” of history.

“The maharajas’ contributions and role can hardly be reduced to simply ‘pliant’ to the East India Company,” he wrote on X on Wednesday evening, reacting sharply to Gandhi’s article.

“The irony that Mr. Rahul Gandhi, coming from such immense privilege himself, would repeatedly attempt to malign the Maharajas’ colossal contributions to the republic of India is appalling. And to compare or draw parallels with the current situation to that of a pre-independent India is entirely unfounded and erroneous,” he added.

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