Attack me... not freedom fighters: U.S. Congressman as late grandfather criticised for supporting Emergency

U.S. Congressman Ro Khanna has come out in support of his late maternal grandfather Amarnath Vidyalankar, who drew flak on social media recently for supporting former prime minister Indira Gandhi during the Emergency, asserting, “Attack me. Don’t attack India’s freedom fighters.”

U.S. Congressman Ro Khanna has come out in support of his late maternal grandfather Amarnath Vidyalankar, who drew flak on social media recently for supporting former prime minister Indira Gandhi during the Emergency, asserting, "Attack me. Don’t attack India’s freedom fighters."

Last week, Mr. Khanna, a Democrat, termed Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's disqualification from the Lok Sabha as a "deep betrayal" of Gandhian philosophy.

Mr. Gandhi, the former Congress president, was disqualified from the Lok Sabha last week, after a court in Surat in the state of Gujarat convicted him in a defamation case.

“The expulsion of Rahul Gandhi from parliament is a deep betrayal of Gandhian philosophy and India’s deepest values,” Mr. Khanna said in a recent tweet.

“This is not what my grandfather sacrificed years in jail for,” the 46-year-old Indian-American politician added.

After his post in support of Mr. Gandhi, Mr. Khanna was reminded on social media that his late grandfather Vidyalankar, a Gandhian, was a supporter of former prime minister Indira Gandhi during the time of Emergency.

“Though it seems as if Ro has forgotten that Amarnath Vidyalankar [his grandfather], an INC loyalist, was part of Indira Gandhi’s govt during the harsh period of emergency in India. He did not oppose the brutal atrocities on Indian masses during the Emergency," according to a post by The Pamphlet on Twitter.