The Bharatiya Janata Party on Tuesday slammed Congress leader Rahul Gandhi for his “shameful” remarks against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and said that this reflected his frustration over an eminent Congress defeat in the upcoming polls.
Rahul Gandhi, during an election rally in Rajasthan, had called Prime Minister Modi “panauti” – a Hindi word for bad omen – over India’s defeat in the ICC Men’s ODI World Cup Final against Australia.
“He comes on TV and says ‘Hindu-Muslim’ and sometimes goes to a cricket match… Our boys would have won the World Cup but the panauti (bad omen) lost us the match,” Gandhi said in Hindi amid loud chants of “panauti-panauti” by his supporters.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi had gone to Ahemdabad stadium named after him to watch the World Cup final between India and Australia. However, India lost to Australia and their quest to an ICC title ended in a heartbreak.
Responding to Rahul Gandhi’s remarks senior BJP leader Ravi Shankar Prasad said that the former Congress president used “shameful, condemnable and disgraceful” language for the prime minister of India.
What happened to you, Rahul Gandhi? You are using such words for the Prime Minister of the country. Our Prime Minister met the players and motivated them. Winning or losing is part of the game. Rahul Gandhi needs to apologise,” Prasad was quoted by news agency ANI as saying.
The BJP leader also threatened to make this a bigger issue it the Congress leader didn’t apologise for his remarks.
He also reminded the Congress leader of his mother Sonia Gandhi’s “maut ka sodagar” remark against Modi when he was the Chief Minister of Gujarat.
“Your mother (Sonia Gandhi) used the word ‘Maut ka saudagar’ (dealer of deaths) for Narendra Modi and see where is the Congress now,” he added.