In the backdrop of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s full-time praise of ‘dissident’ Congress leader Gulam Nabi Azad, a compliment which the latter richly returned this week, the BJP on Tuesday expressed it’s “sadness” over “Congress targeting” its stalwarts who are backing the “rightful agenda” of Modi.
BJP took a dig at the Congress amid a vocal dissent within the opposition party, saying its ideology is all about fulfilling the Gandhi family’s “ambition”, and anyone speaking against it or standing with the rightful agenda of Prime Minister Narendra Modi is castigated.
BJP’s national spokesperson Sambit Patra told a press conference here that the Congress will “castigate” anyone who wants democracy in the party, wants its president to be elected, speaks in favour of politics of development or stands with Modi’s rightful agenda.
While stating that the G23, a reference to the group of 23 senior Congressmen pushing for an organisational overhaul in the party, is an internal matter of the opposition party, Patra said it is “saddening” to see senior leaders like Ghulam Nabi Azad and others being targeted.
The Congress is now all about four leaders, he alleged, referring to its president Sonia Gandhi, her son Rahul and daughter Priyanka Vadra — both party general secretaries — and Priyanka’s husband Robert Vadra.
“Their only agenda is ‘hate Modi’. It has grown to such an extent that Congress workers are protesting on the streets against their own leaders who have praised good works of Modi,” he said answering a question.
Azad had praised Modi at an event -G-23 meet in Jammu on Saturday, saying he speaks frankly about his past as a tea-seller and does not try to hide his background from the world.
Modi left everyone guessing, last month, while speaking in the Rajya Sabha in the last session of the Parliament as he went on praising the retiring Azad.