The BJP on Friday sought to take the steam out of a spirited speech by Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi at the AICC session here and claimed it was, perhaps, too late for the Congress to undo the damage.
The Opposition party hit out at Rahul for keeping quiet on the “corruption” under Manmohan Singh Government and said election-centric gimmicks by the ruling party leader would not work.
“Congress has been neck deep in corruption. Rahul sang paeans for the UPA Government but did not speak on the corruption involving Central Ministers. People have been watching this for long and they will not be fooled by such gimmicks anymore,” BJP spokesman Syed Shahnawaz Hussain said.
The former Union Minister also hit out at the Congress leader for his appeal to the Prime Minister to raise the number of subsidised lPG cylinders from 9 to 12 and asked why no action was taken all these years.
“Who was in power all these yearsIJ Who took the decisionIJ First you take a decision that hurt the common masses and when elections are around who start playing such tricks,” Hussain said.
The BJP leader claimed it was a mere coincidence that national convention of the two parties was taking place at the same time. “When there is hope in the BJP camp, there is gloom in the Congress’. BJP conclave has optimism while pessimism was galore at the Congress conclave. We have a leader in Narendra Modi while they are into the ring without a leader,” Hussain quipped.
The BJP leader claimed Rahul’s speech was like a SoS message to party workers who were already demoralised after a series of electoral defeat.