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Exchanges between the BJP and the Congress Vice-President Rahul Gandhi sharpened on Friday, with the ruling party mocking the Nehru-Gandhi scion for “temple-hopping” during his recent tour to poll-bound Gujarat. Rahul, on his part, took a jibe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s tall promises, saying he would “bring the moon to the earth by 2030”.
Of late, the Congress leader has stepped activity on Twitter even while he is campaigning in Gujarat and in Himachal Pradesh, where Assembly elections have been announced. “Modiji’s party is in power here for 22 years but now he says he will eliminate poverty by 2022. I will anticipate his next promise – that Modi will provide a rocket to everyone in Gujarat to reach the moon by 2025. Then by 2028, Modiji will provide a home for everyone on the moon and in 2030, Modiji will bring the moon to the earth.”
In another tweet, Rahul quoted poet Dushyant, “If you are hungry, be patient. So what if you have no bread. Hunger is a hot topic these days. Of debate in the Delhi Durbar.”
Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad retorted, asking Rahul, “How much does he understand the poet or his poems. I know and have read Dushyant, his saaye mein dhoop (sunlight in the shade, a famous poem). I suggest he sticks to things he understands.”
In a dig at the Congress leader’s recent visits to temples in Gujarat, Prasad said “mere obeisance to gods” would not get him votes.
“I am getting very curious why Rahul Gandhi is visiting temples and paying obeisance to gods with such sincerity. I am told and social media also has highlighted that he had to be taught by local leaders about how to perform ‘ aarti ’,” Prasad said.
The Law Minister said such theatrics don’t impress voters who evaluate leaders on their performance.
“Rahul Gandhi ji , paying obeisance to gods does not get you votes. It is your work that gets rewarded. It is necessary to know what your government had done to Gujarat. The Congress conspired to cause as much difficulty as it could to stop Sardar Sarovar Project from completion,” said the Law Minister.
Prasad said the Congress did “everything possible” when it was in power at the Centre to ensure that the Sardar Sarovar Project was not completed.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi had recently inaugurated the project, which aims to bring irrigation and drinking waters to parts of the State, and the BJP believes it would be a vote-catching issue in the Assembly polls.
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