Modi slams Priyanka for ‘neech rajneeti’ barb; Cong terms NaMo a ‘spin master’

The Congress found itself on the back foot on Tuesday as the BJP’s prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi utilised Priyanka Gandhi Vadra’s “neech rajneeti” barb against him to play the caste card to the hilt saying he was being targeted because he was from a lower caste and questioning if belonging to a lower caste was a crime.

Modi started the tirade off with a series of tweets and continued lambasting Priyanka’s remark in his rally in Domariyaganj prompting the Congress to hit back by terming him a “spin master” and accusing him of “deliberately misinterpreting” what it said was meant for “low-level politics”. The BJP joined issues soon after, asking Priyanka to apologise for her remarks.

“As I belong to a socially backward caste, they consider my politics to be of a low level (neech rajneeti). Some people (Gandhis) cannot see that it is due to renunciation, sacrifice and hard work of people of the backward class that the country has reached the present position,” Modi said in a series of tweets targeting Priyanka.

“This ‘neech rajneeti’ will wipe tears of thousands of people and free India of 60 years of misgovernance and vote bank politics. The height of ‘neech rajneeti’ has power to make Mother India a prosperous and powerful nation,” Modi said.

Priyanka had accused Modi of indulging in ‘neech rajneeti’ after he had narrated an incident involving her father late Rajiv Gandhi and criticised him for humiliating the then Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister T Anjaiah. Modi had brought the incident up as a rejoinder to Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi’s remarks against him that he indulged in politics of anger.

later in Domariyaganj, while addressing a rally for the party’s candidate Jagdambika Pal, who switched over from the Congress in the course of the elections, Modi took the issue further saying: “You can insult Modi as much as you like, you can hang him. But do not insult the lower castes. Is it a crime to be born in a backward casteIJ

I had said that Rajiv Gandhi insulted Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Anjaiah at the airport. Insulting Modi is fine, but they said we are doing low-level politics.” He also sought the intervention of the Election Commission (EC) to stop such attacks on him. “Can the EC take actionIJ I don’t know. They have their limitations,” he said Modi said: “It is a fact that I was born in a backward caste but I can assure this country that my politics is not of a low-level. I have a dream of a united India, a better India.”

The Congress retaliated by dubbing Modi a ‘spinmaster’. “He knows that he is misinterpreting. He does it purposefully. That is Narendra Modi. He will give it a spin that has nothing to do with facts,” party spokesman and Union Minister Kapil Sibal told reporters in Delhi. Asserting that Priyanka Gandhi never made any such insinuation, Sibal said that she was only referring to the BJP resorting to “low-level” politics.

However, the BJP said Priyanka should apologise to Modi as-well-as the whole country for her remarks. “Congress leaders are losing control over their language. An entire family is targeting Modi.

Given the kind of language used for Modi, Priyanka should apologise to him. Politics should be clean. Politics should not be personalised,” BJP spokesperson Shahnawaz Hussain said.

The slugfest also saw former Punjab Chief Minister and senior Congress leader Amarinder Singh jumping into the fray by attacking his rival candidate on the Amritsar lok Sabha seat Arun Jaitley, for accusing Priyanka of being arrogant.  “Jaitley should look into his own attitude that smacks of high-handedness and sheer arrogance, instead of passing judgement on others,” he said.

Hitting out at Priyanka yet again after terming her arrogant, Jaitley said those who are inexperienced in politics should and must think four times before using such words.

Congress spokesperson Rashid Alvi alleged that Modi was indulging in “caste politics” in his desperate attempt to garner votes.