Modi not on white horse, he is Yamraj on buffalo, Congress ridicules
By TNN | 6 Apr, 2013, 11.35AM IST
READ MORE ON » the rest | Saffron | Rahul Gandhi's CII speech | Rahul Gandhi | Nitish Kumar | Narendra Modi |Bihar
The Congress on Friday retaliated against the BJP's digs at Rahul Gandhi's CII speech by likening Narendra Modi to "Yamraj" (lord of death), ratcheting up the war of words over the Gujarat CM who is likely to emerge as the saffron party's PM candidate in 2014.Saffron Industries Ltd.
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NEW DELHI: The Congress on Friday retaliated against the BJP's digs at Rahul Gandhi's CII speech by likening Narendra Modi to "Yamraj" (lord of death), ratcheting up the war of words over the Gujarat CM who is likely to emerge as the saffronBSE -4.94 %party's PM candidate in 2014.
AICC spokesman Rashid Alvi denied suggestions that Rahul Gandhi had alluded to Modi when he debunked the idea of a "man charging on a horse" solving the nation's problems, at the CII meet on Thursday. "Had he intended to point to Modi, he would not have referred to somebody riding a horse but somebody riding a buffalo (Yama's steed). You know who has buffalo as a vehicle... Rahulji has talked about somebody coming on a horse, he must be referring to a messiah," Alvi said.
The BJP quickly reacted to the barb, saying the Congress had stooped to uncivil language to deflect attention from the UPA's misdeeds. The diversionary ploy would backfire, it pointed out, just as Sonia Gandhi's "maut ka saudagar" jibe at Modi had boomeranged on the Congress in the 2007 Gujarat elections.
BJP spokesperson Nirmala Sitharaman said, "They are engaging in political discourse of intemperate language but what can be expected from a party whose chief once called Modi a 'maut ka saudagar'."
'Hope Modi doesn't repeat 2002 in rest of India'
The Congress's focus on Modi's riot stigma comes after a period of ceasefire when it recognized that the Gujarat CM had turned these barbs to his advantage through religious polarization.
On Friday, the party did not seem to harbour any such doubt, with I&B minister Manish Tewari also poking fun at Modi for saying he wanted to "repay the debt of India" — something that has been interpreted as expression of the Gujarat CM's prime ministerial ambitions. "I hope he (Modi) doesn't want to do in the rest of India what he did in Gujarat in 2002," the minister said.
Anyone "who believes in the idea of India, plurality of Indian ethos and is committed to the Indian Constitution", he said, would be worried by the Gujarat leader's comments.
Sources said the renewed Congress onslaught was in retaliation to the shrill comments from the BJP after Rahul Gandhi's CII address. Congress leaders said that some of the remarks made by the opposition were downright "personal and abusive". They were not worried about falling in the "Modi trap", arguing that while the focus on 2002 it may benefit Gujarat CM with Hindu polarization, it also makes him more unacceptable to a large number of regional parties that are seen as post-poll allies.
JD(U) leader Nitish Kumar may be forced to take an early call on his ties with the BJP, given that Modi's rising aggression increasingly pitches him as the PM candidate that the BiharCM has decided not to accept.
Also, painting Modi as anti-Muslim would help in widening the rift between pro- and anti-Modi groups within the BJP itself, a Congress leader said. Senior leader L K Advani's recent comment that BJP must increase its trust with the minorities was seen as a barb at Modi.
AICC spokesman Rashid Alvi denied suggestions that Rahul Gandhi had alluded to Modi when he debunked the idea of a "man charging on a horse" solving the nation's problems, at the CII meet on Thursday. "Had he intended to point to Modi, he would not have referred to somebody riding a horse but somebody riding a buffalo (Yama's steed). You know who has buffalo as a vehicle... Rahulji has talked about somebody coming on a horse, he must be referring to a messiah," Alvi said.
The BJP quickly reacted to the barb, saying the Congress had stooped to uncivil language to deflect attention from the UPA's misdeeds. The diversionary ploy would backfire, it pointed out, just as Sonia Gandhi's "maut ka saudagar" jibe at Modi had boomeranged on the Congress in the 2007 Gujarat elections.
BJP spokesperson Nirmala Sitharaman said, "They are engaging in political discourse of intemperate language but what can be expected from a party whose chief once called Modi a 'maut ka saudagar'."
'Hope Modi doesn't repeat 2002 in rest of India'
The Congress's focus on Modi's riot stigma comes after a period of ceasefire when it recognized that the Gujarat CM had turned these barbs to his advantage through religious polarization.
On Friday, the party did not seem to harbour any such doubt, with I&B minister Manish Tewari also poking fun at Modi for saying he wanted to "repay the debt of India" — something that has been interpreted as expression of the Gujarat CM's prime ministerial ambitions. "I hope he (Modi) doesn't want to do in the rest of India what he did in Gujarat in 2002," the minister said.
Anyone "who believes in the idea of India, plurality of Indian ethos and is committed to the Indian Constitution", he said, would be worried by the Gujarat leader's comments.
Sources said the renewed Congress onslaught was in retaliation to the shrill comments from the BJP after Rahul Gandhi's CII address. Congress leaders said that some of the remarks made by the opposition were downright "personal and abusive". They were not worried about falling in the "Modi trap", arguing that while the focus on 2002 it may benefit Gujarat CM with Hindu polarization, it also makes him more unacceptable to a large number of regional parties that are seen as post-poll allies.
JD(U) leader Nitish Kumar may be forced to take an early call on his ties with the BJP, given that Modi's rising aggression increasingly pitches him as the PM candidate that the BiharCM has decided not to accept.
Also, painting Modi as anti-Muslim would help in widening the rift between pro- and anti-Modi groups within the BJP itself, a Congress leader said. Senior leader L K Advani's recent comment that BJP must increase its trust with the minorities was seen as a barb at Modi.
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