Explained: Why Rahul Gandhi's meeting with UK's Jeremy Corbyn led to a political slugfest

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s London visit is turning out to be a minefield of controversies. After being criticised for dismissing India’s existence as a nation and seeking western intervention in domestic issues during an event at Cambridge University, a duel broke out on Tuesday between the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Congress over Rahul’s meeting with the former head of British Labour Party and MP Jeremy Corbyn. The meeting between the Congress scion and Corbyn led to a flurry of tweets from both sides, statements being issued and an all-out political dogfight. The entire fracas began when the Congress put up a picture of Rahul, along with their overseas head Sam Pitroda and British Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn on their Twitter page.

Our chairman @sampitroda with @RahulGandhi in London 🥰 pic.twitter.com/veyWjx1bpL

— Indian Overseas Congress (@INCOverseas) May 23, 2022

The BJP reacted to the image, with its IT cell chief, Amit Malviya, saying the Congress leader had ‘finally found his overseas collaborator, who denigrates India with the same impunity as him’.

Rahul Gandhi with UK MP and Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn.

Jeremy is known for his visceral dislike for India, advocates Kashmir’s secession and is unequivocally anti-Hindu.

Gandhi has finally found his overseas collaborator, who denigrates India with the same impunity as him. pic.twitter.com/Cn9U4fsCCK

— Amit Malviya (@amitmalviya) May 24, 2022

BJP’s spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla also chimed in, saying in a tweet, “Whether it is meeting with anti-India elements like Jeremy Corbyn, who echo Pakistan propaganda on Kashmir, or signing an MoU with the Chinese and taking Chinese money into the Rajiv Gandhi Foundation, or meeting the Chinese during Doklam, Rahul stands steadfast with anti-India forces.” Kiren Rijiju, the Union law minister, also attacked the Congress and its leader, Rahul, asking how ‘long and how much one can go on against one’s own country’.

Again.. Rahul Gandhi meets UK MP and Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn who is known for his hatred and dislike for India, advocates Kashmir’s secession.

For how long and how much one can go on against one's own country? pic.twitter.com/74KgaeZKBB

— Kiren Rijiju (@KirenRijiju) May 24, 2022

Gaurav Bhatia, the BJP’s spokesperson, as per a report in the Hindustan Times, also slammed Rahul for his meeting with Corbyn, asking the Congress leader whether he endorsed the UK opposition leader’s “anti-India” views. Bhatia said the photograph proves that Rahul Gandhi acts as a fuel to flame anti-India sentiments. “Jahan Jahan desh ke khilaf chingari hai, Rahul Gandhi mitti ka tel leke khade hote hai… (Rahul Gandhi stands by with kerosene near anti-India embers),” he was quoted as saying. The BJP Karnataka unit put out a scathing tweet, asking if the Gandhi scion was ‘plotting against India with yet another toolkit?’ The Congress reacted to the criticism with an old photograph of Corbyn with Modi.

Finally, May I also ask our Media Friends to identify the two men in picture below and ask the same questions?

Does it mean PM has endorsed Jeremy Corbyn’s views on India?@IndiaToday @CNNnews18 pic.twitter.com/vpyvJGpIFu

— Randeep Singh Surjewala (@rssurjewala) May 24, 2022

“It is the culture of our country, as also that of world leaders, to meet various people. You may have divergent opinions that are completely contrary to my interest, but you may meet and get a picture clicked. Getting a picture clicked is not an act of terror, nor is it an anti-national act,” Surjewala said in defence of Rahul. But what is it about Corbyn that has angered the BJP? We take a closer look at Jeremy Corbyn and his longstanding record of holding an anti-India stance, and his anti-Semitic comments. Is Jeremy Corbyn anti-India? Jeremy Bernard Corbyn was first elected as the Labour MP for Islington North in 1983, being re-elected in 2019. He served as Leader of the Labour Party between 2015 and 2020. Having led Labour to their worst election performance since 1935 at the 2019 general election, Corbyn stood down as Labour leader. In 2019, after the Narendra Modi-led government abrogated Section 370 and removed the special status of Jammu and Kashmir, Corbyn had commented on the matter, the human rights situation in Kashmir and called for an end to fear and violence. Following the lockdown in J&K, he questioned the human rights violations and even called for a United Nations intervention.

The situation in Kashmir is deeply disturbing. Human rights abuses taking place are unacceptable. The rights of the Kashmiri people must be respected and UN resolutions implemented.

— Jeremy Corbyn (@jeremycorbyn) August 11, 2019

Corbyn has held a more ‘interventionist’ policy on Kashmir and passed a resolution that supported “international intervention in Kashmir and a call for UN led-referendum”. The motion read, “Crucially, it calls on the Labour Party, the government in waiting, to clearly and vocally support the Kashmiri people’s right to self-determination and for international observers to be sent to the region immediately. The resolution also calls for an intervention of the party at the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC).” Corbyn faced massive backlash for his actions, with the Ministry of External Affairs also calling him out on it. Eventually, the Labour Party stepped in to counter its perceived anti-India stance. The Chair of the Labour Party, Ian Lavery stressed that Kashmir was a “bilateral matter” for India and Pakistan and that the party is opposed to external interference over the issue, as had been implied by some of the wording of a controversial emergency motion passed by the party at its conference in September. Corbyn has also been accused of being anti-Hindu. In November 2019, the Hindu Council UK in a letter wrote, “Jeremy Corbyn has remained silent when there has been a strident anti-India protest which culminated in anti-Hindu sentiments. Our holiest day, Diwali, was recently targeted by demonstrators prompted by several Labour Party members and MPs’ support, not least with their openly condemning Hindus in their letters to the prime minister, foreign office and the UN. “Jeremy Corbyn always speaks against Islamophobia, whereas any anti-Semitic and anti-Hindu positions remain unchallenged. “It is a sad state of affairs that a major political party in our country which used to be a progressive socialist voice has veered towards what almost is a fascist ideology.” [caption id=“attachment_10716171” align=“alignnone” width=“640”]  Jeremy Corbyn stood down as Labour leader after the party saw its worst performance in the 2019 elections. AFP[/caption] Corbyn, anti-Semite? In October 2020, the Labour Party suspended Jeremy Corbyn after he deflected blame for the party’s handling of anti-Semitism allegations. The Equalities and Human Rights Commission — an independent official watchdog group whose recommendations are legally enforceable — said that Labour bore responsibility for “unlawful acts of harassment and discrimination” against Jewish members on Corbyn’s watch, reported the New York Times. Corbyn also has a history of voicing anti-Semitic statements. He has participated at a pro-Palestine rally in which protesters held banners comparing Israel to the Nazis. He also defended a mural in east London that featured grotesque caricatures of hook-nosed Jewish bankers. Glamour magazine reported that Corbyn also wrote a foreword for the book Imperialism by the economist JA Hobson. In his foreword in 2011, he called it ‘brilliant’. Incidentally, book has been denounced for decades because Hobson blamed Jewish bankers and politicians, the ‘house of Rothschild’ and the ‘peculiar race’ for the British Empire. Corbyn also lent his support to Raed Salah, a Palestinian cleric, who has been accused of repeating the ‘blood libel’, the ancient slur that Jews drink the blood of Christian children. On several different occasions, Corbyn said of him: “Salah is a very honoured citizen”, “Salah’s is a voice that must be heard”, “Salah is far from a dangerous man”, and “I look forward to giving you tea on the terrace because you deserve it!”. Soft on extremists Corbyn has also faced accusations that he is a “terrorist sympathiser” with links to group including Hamas and the Irish Republican Army (IRA) throughout his career as an MP. In 2009, he had said: “It will be my pleasure and honour to host an event in Parliament where our friends from Hezbollah will be speaking… I’ve also invited our friends from Hamas to come and speak as well.” In 2016, he apologised for referring to Hamas and Hezbollah as “friends”. Corbyn was also heavily criticised for saying it was a “tragedy” that Osama Bin Laden was killed rather than being put on trial. In an interview, Corbyn was quoted as saying, “There was no attempt whatsoever that I can see to arrest him and put him on trial, to go through that process. “This was an assassination attempt, and is yet another tragedy, upon a tragedy, upon tragedy.” Similarly, he said that would have been the “right thing” to arrest the Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. With inputs from agencies Read all the Latest News , Trending News ,  Cricket News , Bollywood News , India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.