Hitting out at Rahul Gandhi for questioning press freedom in India, Thakur said the country does not need any certificate from “nondescript” rating agencies or “imprudent people” like the former Congress president.

“Rahul Gandhi falsely denounced India and its press freedom during his sponsored press interview to defend a so-called journalist who was arrested by our law enforcement agency for selling India's secrets to international agencies,” the Union minister said on Twitter.

“India doesn't need certificates from any propaganda-driven media house, nondescript rating agencies, or imprudent people like Rahul Gandhi,” Thakur said. The senior BJP leader said it was “horrible that to defame India and Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government, he (Gandhi) has become blind to such an extent that he doesn't consider breaching national security a crime”.

Gandhi is on a tour of the US where he has interacted with students at universities, addressed events attended by the Indian diaspora and addressed a press conference. His remarks claiming the Indian Union Muslim League as a “secular” political party, founder of Sikhism Guru Nanak's “visit” to Thailand have been criticised by his detractors.

“It is no coincidence that he always chooses foreign soil to spread lies about India at such dubiously arranged and sponsored events,” Thakur said. “India under the regime of Congress has seen how national security was compromised, with middlemen having free access to sensitive information about our defence requirements, etc,” the minister said. “The 'Yuvraj' of Congress is living in the old era, where terrorists were invited to the PMO for a handshake with the PM,” Thakur claimed.