Union Minister G. Kishan Reddy has strongly condemned Rahul Gandhi's recent remarks concerning the late Arun Jaitley, calling them "pathetic and vile". Gandhi claimed that Jaitley, who served as the Finance Minister, was "sent to threaten" him regarding his opposition to the controversial farm laws.

Reddy, taking to X (formerly Twitter), accused Gandhi of exploiting the memory of deceased leaders for political advantage. He emphasized that Jaitley passed away in August 2019, while the farm laws were introduced in 2020. Reddy stated that "To maliciously sully those who are no more in our midst for political point-scoring is a low blow". The BJP leader demanded an unconditional apology from Gandhi to Jaitley's family.

Gandhi's original statement, made at a Congress event in Delhi, alleged that Jaitley had warned him of potential action if he continued to oppose the farm laws. Gandhi reportedly stated, "I remember when I was fighting the farm laws, Arun Jaitley was sent to me to threaten me... He told me, 'If you carry on opposing the government, we will have to act against you.' I looked at him and said, 'I don't think you have an idea who you are talking to'". He further added, "We are Congress, not cowards. British couldn't bend us".

The BJP has reacted sharply to Gandhi's accusations, refuting their accuracy and accusing him of disrespecting Jaitley's legacy. BJP IT cell chief Amit Malviya also criticized Gandhi, pointing out the timeline discrepancy and calling the claim "factually incorrect and misleading".

Rohan Jaitley, son of the late Arun Jaitley, also refuted Gandhi's claims. In a social media post, he reminded Gandhi that his father passed away in 2019, before the farm laws were enacted. Rohan Jaitley added, "More importantly, it was not in my father's nature to threaten anyone over an opposing view. He was a staunch democrat and always believed in building consensus". He described Gandhi's statement as being in "poor taste" and urged him to be mindful when speaking of those who are no longer alive.

Congress leaders, however, have attempted to contextualize Gandhi's remarks by pointing to past meetings between Jaitley and Gandhi in 2015 and 2018. Pawan Khera, Congress' media and publicity chief, suggested that Jaitley may have been conveying a message from higher authorities, stating, "Arun Jaitley ji did not threaten on his own; obviously, he was just conveying it. The threat came from above".

This is not the first time Rahul Gandhi has been accused of politicizing the memory of deceased leaders. Reddy referenced a previous instance where Gandhi allegedly politicized his visit with Manohar Parrikar, who was terminally ill, into a statement regarding the Rafale defense deal.

The controversy has sparked a war of words between the BJP and the Congress, with each side presenting differing accounts and interpretations of events. Janata Dal United (JDU) MP Sanjay Jha also criticized Gandhi's remarks, calling it an "utterly deplorable attempt" to tarnish Jaitley's dignity. He echoed the sentiment that Jaitley always believed in meaningful dialogue and consensus-building.