Congress turned arrogant in 2012: Rahul Gandhi
Mr Gandhi also attacked the Prime Minister over demonetisation, calling it a “self-inflicted woundâ€.
New Delhi: All set to take over as Congress chief next month, party vice-president Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday went on to defend dynastic politics and attacked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for mob lynchings and running an alleged abuse machine for targeting him on social media.
Mr Gandhi also attacked the Prime Minister over demonetisation, calling it a “self-inflicted wound”.
On lynchings and attacks on liberals, Mr Gandhi said that the “idea of non-violence is under attack in India”.
Responding to the charge of being described as a “reluctant politician”, Mr Gandhi claimed that “being a reluctant politician is perspective from 1,000 BJP followers sitting on machines only spreading rumours about me”.
“All day they spread abuse about me, and the operation is run by the gentleman who is running our country,” he said, in a veiled reference to the PM. The Congress leader’s stinging criticism of the PM on a host of issues ranging from demonetisation, GST, attacks on liberal journalists, unrest in Kashmir and “politics of hate” left the BJP fuming.
Eyebrows were raised in the Congress as Mr Gandhi, who is expected to replace his mother Sonia Gandhi as party president next month, went on to admit that the party had turned “arrogant” in 2012, two years before the general elections. Incidentally, Mrs Gandhi was in control of the party during that period and there were no talks of his taking over at that juncture. “Around 2012, arrogance crept into the Congress party and we stopped having conversations with people,” Mr Gandhi told the students.
On Mr Gandhi’s move to defend dynastic politics, CPI leader D. Raja said that Mr Gandhi should “not have made a generalised comment on dynasty politics”.
Ms Irani, who led the charge for the BJP hit-back, described Mr Gandhi as a “failed dynast”. She claimed that many India citizens have contributed “in different walks of life not because of their dynasty but because of their merit.” The Union minister gave examples of President Ram Nath Kovind, vice-president M. Venkaiah Naidu and Prime Minister Modi.