The BJP on Wednesday tweaked Congress president Sonia Gandhi’s seven-year-old maut ka saudagar barb against BJP’s PM nominee Narendra Modi to target Rahul Gandhi by dubbing him a asatya ka saudagar for his ‘untruths’ about the Gujarat land acquisition policy.
“His own Government said that land acquisition policy in Gujarat is exemplary and it is the best practice. Where is Rahul Gandhi nowIJ” asked BJP spokesperson Nirmala Sitharaman.
The BJP said his “untruths” about Gujarat land acquisition policy have been exposed by the report sponsored by his own Government that has “praised” the State’s model.
“If you permit to borrow something the Congress has trademarked it for themselves, today you (Rahul) have become asatya ka saudagar (merchant of lies),” Sitharaman told reporters here, in an apparent reference to Sonia’s infamous maut ka saudagar (merchant of death) barb against Modi during the election campaign for 2007 Assembly polls in Gujarat.
Citing the report prepared on behalf of the Department of Industrial Promotion and Policy (DIPP) which praised Gujarat’s land acquisition model as “exemplary,” she said, “In every rally, the Congress vice-president spoke about the toffee model that one can get a toffee in one rupee but in Gujarat you will get land in one rupee.”
She said the Congress should apologise for having said such untruths when its Government report is to the contrary. “People are misled. Where is Rahul Gandhi nowIJ Where is he todayIJ His own Government today said that land acquisition policy in Gujarat is exemplary and it is the best practice. From the dais you went about telling the whole world something which did not get corroborated by your own Government. You went on to say untruths from the dais as part of your election campaign and Congress did not bat an eyelid. His speech writers did not tell him about this,” said Seetharaman.
Objecting to the “vicious” propaganda against Modi and the BJP, she also sought a reply from Commerce and Industry Minister Anand Sharma. “Whether malnutrition or encounters, Gujarat was always targeted. Anything to do with Modi and Gujarat is alright for bashing up with untruths,” she added.
“We object to this and we take serious note of this kind of vicious attack the Congress is propagating against Modi and the BJP. Minister Anand Sharam should come out on this,” the BJP leader said.