Hardeep Singh Puri asks Rahul Gandhi for "serious introspection" over his "fighting Indian State" remark

New Delhi [India], January 15 : Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri lashed out at Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi over his statement on "fighting the Indian State" and said that the Congress MP need to do some "serious introspection."
This follows Rahul Gandhi's criticism of BJP and RSS stating, "The BJP and the RSS have captured every single institution of our country. We are now fighting the BJP, the RSS and the Indian State itself,"
Speaking with ANI, the union minister said, "How can he fight the Indian State?...Either its derailment of mental coordinates or it's the Soros toolkit. But how can any Indian say that he is against the Indian State?. I think the several times re-launched leader, young at the age of 54 needs to do some serious introspection. I think there is going to be hell to pay for any political leader who says that I am against the Indian State."
Puri further said that he understands Congress' "problem" with the BJP but questioned Gandhi about his statement on the RSS and the Indian State.
"If the LoP who belongs to a political party which claims to have contributed to India's freedom struggle and which has produced several PMs, of that party has deteriorated to a point that they are now fighting the India State - I can understand that you have a problem with the BJP because it has eclipsed you as the largest political party, it has been in power for the last 10 years and has won election for the third time; but fighting RSS? RSS is a cultural organisation. And it prides itself in placing the nation first and the Constitution and Indian State are I think parts of the same philosophy. That's what defines India as a country," Puri said.
Further Puri disagreed with Rahul Gandhi's statement on media where he claimed that "media is no longer free and fair," Puri disagreed and said, I am very clear that media is a very essential component of Indian democracy."
"You can attack us today, we can disagree. But the fact of the matter is, you have the legislature, the elected government, an executive branch, judiciary, but the media is definitely the fourth element in that. It is a crucial element because you have the capacity of taking the mirror and showing it to us. The fact that you have picked up this comment that this young, aspiring, several times re-launched leader has made...I had said that it seems to be a case of mental stability. But now when I see the full statement, I think he has a lot of answering to do," Puri said.
Rahul Gandhi statement over Indian State and Media has sparked a political row as BJP leaders have launched a scathing attack on him.
Earlier in the day, Congress MP Rahul Gandhi said, "Our ideology like the RSS ideology is thousands of years old and it has been fighting the RSS ideology for thousands of years. Do not think that we are fighting a fair fight. There is no fairness in this. If you believe that we are fighting a political organisation called the BJP or RSS, you have not understood what is going on. The BJP and the RSS have captured every single institution of our country. We are now fighting the BJP, the RSS and the Indian State itself," he said.
"We do not know whether our institutions are working or are non-functional. It is pretty clear what the media is up to. Even people know that media is no longer free and fair," Gandhi said.