New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi has asked his party MPs to aggressively go after Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi over the JNU sedition row by asking him why he supported those who raised anti-national slogans, sources said Tuesday.
PM Modi, according to sources, told a meeting of BJP parliamentary party executive committee that the MPs should not be on the defensive over allegations of "authoritarianism" raised by Opposition parties.
His party felt that it stood to gain by turning the debate into one between "patriots and anti-nationals."
This comes on a day Rahul joined a protest by students and teachers at Jantar Mantar where he pitched for a law to protect them from "discrimination" and "suppression".
Both sides will have the first face off in the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday during a discussion on the JNU sedition row and scholar Rohith Vemula's suicide case.
Sensing that the Congress will try to corner the government over sedition charges on JNU students, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley reportedly briefed the party leaders about the legal aspects under which such charges could be imposed on offenders.
All BJP lawmakers were asked to counter allegations logically in Parliament, with a fair knowledge of issues which were raised by the opposition in recent past.
The party will question Rahul why he supported JNU student leader Kanhaiya Kumar and others who allegedly raised anti-national slogans.
Rahul, during the day addressed a demonstration by students from across the country demanding justice for Rohith Vemula - the scholar who committed suicide at Hyderabad Central University - and the students booked for sedition in JNU.
(Additional inputs from PTI)
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