The Prime Minister also appealed to “brothers and sisters in the business community” that when the world is “going through such an atmosphere of instability, we too should sell only swadeshi goods.”

The late BJP leader’s son, Rohan Jaitley, slammed Rahul Gandhi for his remarks and defended his father, calling him a “staunch democrat” who believed in building consensus.

Known as the founding patron of the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM), Shibu Soren had led the party for 38 years. He previously served as the third Chief Minister of Jharkhand, first for 10 days in 2005 and later from 2008 to 2009. He also led the state as the Chief Minister from 2009 to 2010.