Rahul claims Jaitley threatened him over farm law protests

Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi on Saturday sparked a controversy by claiming that he was threatened by the late Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley for speaking against the farm laws, saying that the government would act against him. However, the claim soon led to embarrassment for Gandhi as he mistakenly linked the timeline of the land acquisition bill to the farm laws, which were introduced after Jaitley’s death. The comments were made during the Annual Legal Conclave 2025, organised at Vigyan Bhawan in New Delhi.

Addressing the gathering, Rahul Gandhi said, “I remember when I was fighting the farm laws, I shouldn’t say this as he is no more. But I will share. Arun Jaitleyji was sent to me to threaten me. And he told me ‘if you carry on opposing the government, fighting the farm laws, 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.”

Notably, Arun Jaitley passed away in 2019, while the farm laws were introduced by the Narendra Modi-led NDA government in 2020. During Jaitley’s tenure, Rahul Gandhi was actively opposing the Land Acquisition (Amendment) Act brought in by the NDA government, which sought to change the 2013 UPA-era legislation through a series of ordinances. At the time, the Congress had opposed the proposed amendments, labelling them anti-farmer for removing key provisions such as the “consent” clause. The 2015 attempt to dilute the act was met with widespread resistance, and when the government withdrew the bill, the Opposition claimed a significant victory. Then Congress president Sonia Gandhi had called the proposed changes anti-farmer and accused the government of trying to benefit a few wealthy individuals.

Rahul Gandhi’s claim that Jaitley threatened him in relation to the 2020 farm laws drew sharp criticism from the Bharatiya Janata Party. Jaitley’s son, Rohan Jaitley, took to X (formerly Twitter) to denounce the statement. “Rahul Gandhi now claims my late father, Arun Jaitley, threatened him over the farm laws,” he wrote. “Let me remind him, my father passed away in 2019. The farm laws were introduced in 2020.” Rohan further said, “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. If at all such a situation was to occur, as it often does in politics, he would invite free and open discussions to arrive at a mutually acceptable solution to all. That was simply who he was and that remains his legacy today.”

He also criticised Rahul Gandhi for dragging the names of deceased leaders into political debates, saying, “I would appreciate Rahul Gandhi being mindful while speaking of those not with us. He attempted something similar with Manohar Parrikar ji, politicising his final days which was in equally poor taste...” Rohan Jaitley was referring to Rahul Gandhi’s 2019 visit to Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar, after which he told party workers in Kerala that Parrikar had stated he had no involvement in the “new (Rafale) deal” that Gandhi claimed was “orchestrated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to benefit Anil Ambani.” Parrikar had then issued a stern rebuttal, accusing Gandhi of politicising a courtesy meeting and using it for political gain. Parrikar had also written a letter to Rahul Gandhi, expressing dismay at what he described as “petty political gains” from a personal visit.

However, Congress’ Shakti Sinh Gohil claimed that “Modiji after becoming the PM had been saying about farm laws. And the preparation started soon after 2014. And thus the copy of the draft was also given to opposition parties and discussion were held by Jaitley with many leaders.” He claimed that thus what Rahul Gandhi had said was correct and that the BJP uses the families of its leaders.