New Delhi, Nov 7 : Former Union Minister Smriti Irani on Thursday tore into the Leader of Opposition (LoP) in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi over his opinion article reflecting on the ‘prowess’ of East India Company and accused him as well as the Congress party of insulting nation’s brave freedom fighters and martyrs.

Addressing a press conference, Smriti Irani said that it was unfortunate that they (Rahul Gandhi and Congress) don’t understand the valour of freedom fighters and their supreme sacrifices.

“They either aren’t aware of the bravery of Birsa Munda, heroic acts of Shivaji Maharaja, the sacrifices of Rani Laxmibai, the intrepidness of Mangal Pandey or tend to deliberately ignore their contributions to the country’s freedom struggle,” the former minister said in a presser.

Smriti Irani also expressed strong reservations over the article's reference to the Britishers 'supremacy', in the first line, which apparently read - 'India was silenced by East India Company'.

“Had India been silent, Britishers would be ruling the country today” she retorted.

Further taking a stinging jibe, Irani said, “It’s ludicrous that the family which turned a leading political party into a private limited company is talking about East India Company.”

Earlier in the day, the scions of Indian royal families also took exception to Rahul Gandhi’s article, where he wrote that India’s silence under the East India Company was not due to its business control but rather its oppressive control.

They lambasted Congress MP Rahul Gandhi for describing the country's former kings as "pliant maharajas" subjugated by the East India Company.