New Delhi: A day after his party mounted an impressive challenge to the BJP in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s home state of Gujarat, a charged Rahul Gandhi questioned the credibility of Mr Modi.
Describing Gujarat results as a “zabardast jhatka” (a massive jolt) to the BJP, the Congress president claimed that it was an indication that the country was not listening to Mr Modi anymore.
“It was thought that the Congress will not be able to fight the BJP in Gujarat... You saw the results and it has dealt a zabardast jhatka (a massive jolt) to the BJP in Gujarat,” he told reporters.
“A big question has been raised on Modiji’s credibility. Frankly, Modiji has a credibility problem and he will find it very difficult. Because what he is saying, his forces and his organisation are repeating that. But the country is not listening to that. This, the Gujarat election has shown. In the coming times, you will see this clearly,” he added.
Hitting back, the BJP targeted Mr Gandhi saying that he was “enjoying defeat as victory.”
“It seems Rahul Gandhi is under an illusion and enjoying defeat as victory. This shows his dynastic arrogance and is an insult to the people’s mandate,” Union minister and senior BJP leader Prakash Javadekar said.
The BJP won 99 seats in the 182-member Assembly, down from 115 it won in 2012, and far lower than the 150-plus seats it had hoped for. It is also the first time its tally slipped below the 100 mark since the BJP formed its maiden government on its own in 1995.
Targeting the “Gujarat Model”, Mr Gandhi said that people in Gujarat do not accept it any more as it is only “good propaganda and able marketing” but “hollow from within”.
Launching a scathing attack on the Prime Minister, Mr Gandhi accused him of evading corruption issues. “The country wants to know that you talked non-stop of corruption. Jay Shah, son of Amit Shah, turned Rs 50,000 into Rs 80 crore in three months, there has been a scam in Rafale deal, why don’t you talk of this? This is the credibility issue,” Mr Gandhi said.
The Congress feels that with its performance in Gujarat it has bounced back and the effects of its impressive performance will be felt in Chattisgarh, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh, BJP-ruled states that go to polls next year.
Hitting back at Mr Gandhi, the BJP said if the Congress and its president cannot differentiate between victory and defeat, then “God help them”, and that if poll victories are considered “jolts” by the Opposition party, it is happy to receive these jolts.
Mr Javadekar said the Congress was “enjoying defeat as victory” under the illusion that its performance in Gujarat polls had come as a big jolt to the ruling party when actually the poll outcome had actually jolted the Congress.
The Union minister also alleged that the Congress tried to adopt divisive politics in Gujarat but people put their faith in Mr Modi and in his development agenda.
