Lucknow/Bijnor: Unrelenting in his personal attacks on Congress leaders, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday mocked Rahul Gandhi at an election rally in Bijnor, saying the vice-president of the Grand Old Party is the butt of the maximum number of jokes on the Internet.
The attack comes two days after Mr Modi mocked Dr Manmohan Singh in Rajya Sabha for escaping unscathed despite several corruption allegations against the UPA government. “Ek bhi daagh nahi laga un par. Bathroom mein raincoat pehen kar nahaane ki kala sirf Dr sahab hi jaante hain,” he had said on Wednesday.
The PM, without taking any names, said, “There is this Congress leader known for his childish acts. If you Google, you will see that he has the maximum number of jokes on him. No other leader is the target of as many jokes as him”.
He said that even senior Congress leaders maintain a safe distance from this leader, but since Akhilesh Yadav embraced him, he has started to doubt the UP chief minister’s wisdom.
Addressing an election rally in Uttar Pradesh’s Bijnor, he also ridiculed the Congress-SP alliance, terming it a case of “aa gale lag jaa.” Uttar Pradesh casts its ballot in the first of seven-phase polls on Saturday.
At another rally in Haridwar, in poll-bound Uttarakhand, where polling is scheduled for February 15, the PM asked people to vote out the Congress which had “tainted the name of Devbhoomi” and replace it with a government that will translate Atal Bihar Vajpayee’s vision for the state.
Mr Modi said that he has vowed to fulfil Mr Vajpayee’s dream for the hill state and asked, “Won’t you vote out a government which sullied the reputation of the abode of God?”
“There was a time when the mention of Devbhoomi evoked sacred feelings but it is no longer so... Now, the mention of the word brings to mind images of a tainted government. The entire country has seen it all on TV,” he said, referring to the alleged sting operation in which chief minister Harish Rawat was purportedly seen negotiating a deal to buy support of disgruntled party MLAs during the political crisis last year.
In UP, Mr Modi ridiculed the Congress-SP alliance saying that the Congress had attacked the Akhilesh government over the law and order situation but was now holding hands with the same party.
He also charged that the SP-Congress tie-up is an alliance of two clans. “Why are all MLAs, MLCs and MPs from Sefai? Are others not deserving enough?” he asked.
“Bijnor se Ballia tak parivartan ki leher chal rahi hai. One family has destro-yed India and the other family has destroyed Uttar Pradesh. They have both come together this time. In order to save UP, the voters must reject them”, he said.
